1 Dec 2011
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (December 1) 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 woman, aged 43, who had eaten wild mushrooms picked from a podium garden on the fourth floor of Mei Lam Shopping Centre in Sha Tin.
The woman developed abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness and weakness about three hours after eating the wild mushrooms at home on November 30.
She attended the Accident and Emergency Department of Prince of Wales Hospital and was admitted on the same day. She is 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.