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The Department of Health's Centre for Health Protection (CHP) today (July 22) 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 three people from the same family who had taken wild mushrooms from a park in Kowloon City.

Investigations by the CHP revealed that the family members - a man, a woman and a boy - aged from 9 to 40, developed diarrhoea, nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting and dizziness 30 minutes to two hours after eating the wild mushrooms on July 20.

The patients were taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital where they were discharged after symptomatic treatment.

It was found that the mushrooms they had eaten belonged to the species lepiota cristata or commonly known as parasol mushroom which is toxigenic and inedible.

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.

Leisure and Cultural Services Department staff would also take appropriate measures to prevent people from collecting wild mushrooms in the venues under their supervision, the spokesman added.

Ends/Thursday, July 22, 2004

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