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The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (May 3) urged 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 yesterday (May 2).
Investigations by the CHP revealed that two men aged 45 and 52 developed sweating, weakness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, 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 hospitalisation was required and both have recovered.
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.
Ends/Thursday, May 3, 2007
Issued at HKT 18:06
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