MUSHROOM SENDS CHILD TO HOSPITAL

A CHILD was rushed to hospital on Tuesday after eating a poisonous mushroom in Canberra.

The hospitalisation followed that of another child, also in Canberra, who also ate a death cap mushroom on March 18.

The mushrooms are known to grow in the territory at this time of year, prompting another warning from the ACT’s chief health officer Doctor Kerryn Coleman.

“This is an unfortunate reminder that wild mushrooms can grow anywhere in our region at any time,“she said on Wednesday. “As the name suggests, death cap mushrooms can be deadly, and all parts of the mushroom are poisonous whether they have been cooked or not.

“Canberrans should remember that it is never safe to pick and eat wild mushrooms.”

Dr Coleman said people should avoid even touching them and not “take the risk” of eating mushrooms they have found in the wild.

Death cap mushrooms are often found in Canberra in autumn and grow near oak trees, although they have been spotted elsewhere.

Symptoms of poisoning generally occur within six to 24 hours after eating one and include stomach pains, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.