Thai Public Health Warns Locals Of Poisonous Mushrooms

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Public Health warns locals of poisonous mushrooms

BANGKOK, 17 September 2012 (NNT) – Deputy Public Health Minister Surawit Khonsomboon has warned local residents of wild poisonous mushrooms after 12 people have died and 400 fallen ill from eating them.

Mr Surawit said more people this year have fallen ill from eating wild mushrooms than they have in the past four years. The Bureau of Epidemiology has reported that from January to May this year, over 400 people fell ill from eating the mushrooms. Most patients were from the North and Northeast. Out of those, 12 people or 3% died.

A one-month-old baby was the youngest victim to have fallen ill from toxic mushroom after the mother ate the fungus and breast-fed her. Most who died from consuming the poisonous mushrooms are the elderly.

The lethal mushrooms belong to the genus Amanita, which grow naturally in the wild. These mushrooms contain amatoxins, which can cause liver and kidney failure. Victims will feel nausea and vomit within 24 hours after eating the mushroom; their liver and kidney will fail, and they will die eventually if not properly treated in time.

According to the Public Health Ministry, many residents have false beliefs and mistaken poisonous mushrooms for edible ones. Such beliefs include seeing bug bites on the mushrooms means they are safe for consumption; mushrooms boiled with rice in the pot together with a silver spoon which does not turn black means they are edible, or boiling mushrooms can get rid of the poison. All of these are misconceptions.

-- NNT 2012-09-17

[tangcoral]

Just a few days ago I saw about 5-7 hilltribe or burmese people washing and rinsing these wild picked mushroom at huai kaeo waterfall (near zoo) in Chiangmai.

Not sure why it was washed there maybe cause the water is free and clean?

[yougivemebaby]

I've collected and eaten wild mushrooms. It is a little bit scary but the people have been doing it a long time. They know if they're poisonous or not. Pretty scary though.

[asiawatcher]

If it is grey or pink on the underside it is usually okay but red or deep maroon should be avoided. The caps also vary in shape. Anyone wishing to gamble on wild mushrooms, should check out the appropriate websites.

[katana]

Reminds me of this unfortunate story from back in 2008 where a Thai woman on the Isle Of Wight in the UK mistakenly ate some death cap fungi she mistook for edible mushrooms she ate back in her native Thailand.

http://news.bbc.co.u...ire/8574915.stm

[omnilangur]

The Amanita if eaten in moderation were believed to be a consciousness cleansing/mental expansion interplanetary fungal teacher of sorts. It inspired Alice in Wonderland. Anyone ever tasted a magic mushroom here in LOS?

[Semper]

This is bad news for the Full Moon party people.