The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (May 2) investigating a food poisoning case involving two persons who ate mushrooms.
The two female patients, aged 49 and 25, presented with vomiting and diarrhoea around 1.5 hours after having dinner which included mushrooms purchased from a store in Wong Tai Sin district on April 27, and which they cooked at home that evening. The patients sought medical attention at the Accident and Emergency Department of United Christian Hospital on April 27. They have been in a stable condition.
The CHP has also alerted the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department to the incident and the investigations are ongoing.
"Mushroom poisoning is generally acute. Common presentations include gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain appearing shortly after ingestion. Depending on the mushroom species, patients may also have other symptoms like profuse sweating, hallucination, coma or other neurological symptoms, as well as liver failure. Death may result in severe cases," a CHP spokesman said.
"We advise the public to buy mushrooms from reputable and reliable suppliers and not to buy mushroom products which may be mixed with unknown species. Members of the public should not pick wild mushrooms for consumption as it is difficult to distinguish edible mushroom species from inedible ones. Mixing of edible species with inedible or poisonous species of mushroom will not dilute toxicity. Cooking in most cases does not destroy toxicity," the spokesman added.
"If mushroom poisoning is suspected, the patient should seek immediate medical attention and bring along any available remnant for identification," the spokesman said.
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