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Press Release

Food poisoning case related to wild mushrooms

24 May 2011

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (May 24) urged the public not to collect and eat wild mushrooms from parks or the countryside.

The call followed a report of suspected food poisoning involving a man and a woman, aged 48 and 69, who had eaten wild mushrooms picked from Lung Tsui Park, Lower Wong Tai Sin Estate.

The duo developed abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhoea about one and a half to three hours after eating the wild mushrooms at home on May 23.

They attended the Accident and Emergency Department of Queen Elizabeth Hospital on the same day but did not require hospitalisation. They are now in stable condition.

A CHP spokesman advised people not to pick wild mushrooms for consumption as it was difficult to distinguish edible mushroom species from inedible ones.

"Mushroom toxin poisonings are generally acute. The main treatment for this kind of poisoning is only supportive treatment," the spokesman said.

24 May 2011