Twenty-seven people have died in Iran after drinking tainted homemade alcohol, and a further 15 are in a critical condition.
The national emergency services said they have had to take 290 people to hospital in four Iranian provinces in recent days.
Some 250 patients are still being treated, a spokesman for the emergency services was cited by ISNA news agency as saying.
The sale and consumption of alcohol is strictly forbidden in the Islamic Republic for religious reasons; people who drink alcohol face fines, and in the case of repeated offences, lashes from the whip.
Despite the strict alcohol ban, a study from February showed that Iran has five million alcoholics.
There is a large choice of alcohol available on the Iranian black market at very high prices. It is cheaper to buy home-made spirits or wine from private individuals.
Some of the home-made drinks are tainted and can lead to serious poisoning.
