3 May 2007
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (May 3) urged members of the public not to collect and eat wild mushrooms from parks or countryside.
The call followed a report of suspected food poisoning involving two men who had eaten wild mushrooms picked from a mountain area at Fo Tan on May 2.
Investigations by the CHP revealed that two men aged 45 and 52 developed sweating, weakness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness and coldness 15 to 30 minutes after eating the wild mushrooms at home yesterday afternoon. The patients attended the Accident and Emergency Department of Prince of Wales Hospital on the same day. No hospitalization was required. Both have recovered.
A CHP spokesman advised members of the public not to pick wild mushrooms for consumption as it was difficult to distinguish edible mushroom species from the inedible ones.
A spokesman for CHP urged members of the public to stay alert to the threat of dengue fever and help preventing mosquito breeding by taking the following measures:
"Mushroom toxin poisonings are generally acute. The main treatment for this kind of poisoning is only supportive treatment," the spokesman said.