Balrampur: Two children and seven others were severely affected after eating wild mushrooms in Balrampur district of Chhattisgarh, police said nine people became seriously ill after allegedly eating wild mushrooms. The incident has sparked worry about the risks of consuming wild mushrooms and particularly in the monsoon period when there are numerous reports of their presence in forests, which is a time when they are often the source of ingestion.
By the information available, all nine ate wild mushrooms or khukdi or wild puttu after which they started exhibiting symptoms of food poisoning. The condition of the child worsened quickly and members of the family and neighbours immediately rushed your child to the Vadrafnagar Civil Hospital for immediate medical attention.
The severity of the illness compelled them to refer these patients to district hospital for advanced treatment. Two patients are in critical condition, and the rest of the patients are under observation and treatment, said hospital sources.
BMO Dr. Hemant Dixit said while commenting on the incident that there is no worse situation, all the patients are getting better. He also made a public announcement calling on people to beware the possibility of eating wild mushrooms that people have gathered in the forests or from their surroundings, because many wild mushrooms are toxic and grow with edible mushrooms making them difficult to identify.
Poisonous mushrooms may produce bad food poisoning, with symptoms including vomiting, loose stools, stomach cramps, headaches, liver or kidney damage – unless treated promptly. If mushroom poisoning is suspected it is urgent that medical assistance be sought.
Authorities have urged residents to be mindful of what mushrooms they’re picking up and ingesting from the wild, and to “better ask before you eat.”