Others may have some of the same batch of the locally foraged mushrooms
UPDATE:
The mushroom that poisoned an area resident has been identified by state health officials as Western destroying angel, according to the county Department of Health and Human Services, which said the variety was mistaken “for puffball mushrooms by experienced local foragers.”
PREVIOUS:
Humboldt County health officials are advising people not to eat or forage wild mushrooms after a local resident was poisoned by what was thought to be a death cap but is too sick to identify the person who gave the mushrooms to them — and possibly others.
“A local individual is currently in an out-of-area ICU suffering from amatoxin poisoning after consuming mushrooms foraged by a friend in Humboldt County,” the Department of Health and Human Services says. “While details are very limited, it appears that the individual who picked the mushrooms was an experienced forager who shared the mushrooms with the now sick individual and possibly other friends on Friday, March 13.”
A day after eating the mushrooms, according to the release, the person began feeling ill and went to a local emergency room. Later, they were transferred to an out-of-town Intensive Care Unit suffering from amatoxin poisoning.
The California Department of Public Health issued a health advisory advising against wild foraging on Dec. 5 following a cluster of poisonings resulting in dozens of hospitalizations in a swath of counties, with most cases centered in Monterey and the Bay Area.
Those sickened ranged in from 19 months to 67 years. At least four people died in the outbreak and three others needed liver transplants.
“Toxic mushrooms, such as the death cap (Amanita phalloides), can easily be mistaken for safe, edible mushrooms due to their similar appearance and taste,” the advisory states. “Consuming these mushrooms can lead to severe poisoning. Cooking, boiling, drying, or freezing these mushrooms does not make them safe to eat.”
Some of the death cap mushrooms, which do grow in Humboldt, involved in those cases were foraged in locations “across Northern California and the Central Coast regions, including county, city and national park lands,” according to the state.
Anyone with information about the current incident, is asked to contact the Humboldt County Department of Health & Human Services Public Health Branch at (707) 268-2182.
The following is information provided by DHHS:
Symptoms of mushroom poisoning
• Symptoms may not appear until six to 24 hours after eating a poisonous mushroom.
• Mild symptoms (even mild nausea) can be the beginning of a more severe reaction. Sometimes early symptoms go away within a day, but serious to fatal liver damage can still develop within two to three days.
• Seek help immediately, if you or someone you know has eaten a poisonous mushroom. Do not wait for symptoms to appear. Treatment is more difficult once symptoms start.
Common early symptoms include (but are not limited to):
• Stomach pain
• Cramping
• Diarrhea
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Drop in blood pressure
• Fatigue
• Confusion
Mushroom poisoning can lead to serious complications, including:
• Liver damage (sometimes leading to the need for a liver transplant)
• Kidney damage
• Hallucinations and euphoria
• Seizures
• Death
What to do if you may have eaten a poisonous mushroom:
• Immediately seek medical care and call the California Poison Control Hotline at 1-800-222-1222 if you or someone you know may have eaten a poisonous mushroom. The hotline can tell you exactly what to do in the case of a mushroom poisoning. They also provide guidance to medical providers to help ensure proper care. The hotline is free and operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in over 200 languages.
• When you go to the hospital take any of the uneaten mushroom with you if you can. Experts can identify the mushroom, which can help with your medical care. To preserve the mushroom, place it in a paper bag or waxed paper (not plastic) and refrigerate. If you don’t have the mushroom, photos of the mushroom (including its cap, stem and underside) can be helpful.
