2007-05-02
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (May 2) urged people not to collect and eat wild mushrooms from parks or countryside.
The call was made following a report of suspected food poisoning involving two persons from a same family who had taken wild mushrooms from Aberdeen Country Park yesterday (May 1).
Investigations by the CHP revealed that a 63-year-old man and a 57-year-old woman developed nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness and blurred vision half an hour after eating the wild mushrooms at home yesterday afternoon. The patients attended the Accident and Emergency Department of Queen Mary Hospital on the same day. No hospitalization was required. Both have recovered.
A CHP spokesman advised people not to pick wild mushrooms for consumption as it was difficult to distinguish edible mushroom species from the inedible ones.
"Mushroom toxin poisonings are generally acute. The main treatment for this kind of poisoning is only supportive treatment," the spokesman said.
Ends/Wednesday, May 2, 2007