On July 10, a couple, their two children and the husband's sister ate mushrooms which were picked from a local forest. Around 12 hours later, they all suffered bellyaches, nausea and tiredness.

They were then sent to Ha Giang General Hospital. One child who faced the most critical condition died at the hospital. Meanwhile, the couple and their sister were sent to Bach Mai Hospital on July 11 and the other child was kept at Ha Giang General Hospital in less serious condition.

According to the Poison Control Centre of the Bach Mai Hospital, the three were taken to the hospital with acute liver failure. Their liver enzyme levels were 200-fold higher than normal. They also struggled with coagulation disorder and kidney failure.

On July 19, the husband and his sister died after falling into a coma. Meanwhile, the wife saw a small improvement with a lower liver enzyme level.

According to Dr Nguyen Trung Nguyen, director of the Poison Control Centre of the Bach Mai Hospital, with mushroom types that lead to rapid toxicity around six hours after eating, people may face abdominal pain, nausea and diarrhoea. For this kind of poisoning, healthcare facilities at lower levels can still manage treatment effectively, and patients can recover quickly.

But slow-acting mushroom poisoning is more dangerous as it is caused by amatoxin which quickly damages the liver, leading to liver failure. The symptoms usually appear within 6-24 hours after eating mushrooms.

Nguyen advised people not to eat wild mushrooms.

Source: Dtinews