Mushrooms: A Deadly Trip For Four In California
After a spate of rain, California residents have been foraging for wild mushrooms. Unknowingly, they ate one of the deadliest mushrooms. Four people have died, and three have needed liver transplants. So far, 39 people have been sickened. The mushrooms look very similar to the safe, edible kind of mushrooms, but unless you are an expert, you might eat the wrong kind and get very sick, or worse. These can cause hallucinations, but not the fun kind. The trip you take is to the emergency room at your local hospital.
Death Cap Mushrooms
Health officials in California have urged people to “not eat wild mushrooms,” the state’s Department of Public Health said, amid what the state called “an unprecedented outbreak of severe illness and deaths associated with people accidentally picking and eating Death Cap mushrooms.”
Watch For These Symptoms
Early symptoms include stomach pain, vomiting, fatigue, confusion, and diarrhea, state officials said, and can show up as late as 24 hours after eating the mushroom. Mushroom poisoning mostly affects your liver, but it can also affect your kidneys and other organs.
What You Can Do If You Get Poisoned
Seek help immediately if you or someone you know has eaten a poisonous mushroom. Contact the CPCS hotline: 1-800-222-1222. Do not wait for symptoms to appear. Treatment is more difficult once symptoms start.
Keep children and pets away from mushrooms.