Dhemaji: In two separate incidents, a total of 16 persons including a minor boy were taken ill after consuming poisonous wild mushrooms in North Assam‘s Dhemaji district on Wednesday night.
In the first incident at Simen Chapori (Jonai) as many as eleven persons belonging to different villages under Misamara panchayat were affected by the mushroom poison.
The affected persons are Sumitra Narzary (40) and Rindev Ramsiary (32) of No-3 Jaipur, five from Hangma village including- Sabitri Doimary (47), Mukung Swargiyari (30) Brindaban Bosumotary (29) Ringkham Doimari (26), Rohila Basumaotray (55), thee from Majgaon including- July Swargiyari (20), John Swargiyari (12) and Anjali Swargiyary (17) besides Khagen Narzary (45) of Loglung gaon.
District Surveillance Officer (IDSP) of Dhemaji Dr Jugen Das, who observed the health condition of the affected persons, informed that their health was found stable after treatment and later released from Dhemaji Hospital on Thursday evening.
In the second incident occurred at No-2 Phulbari (Gogra) near Silapathar town on the same day, five members of a family namely Dhon Bd Dorji (27) Pradum Bd Dorji (21), Gonga Bd Dorji (55), Monu Maya Dorji (46) and Tiki Maya Dorji (55) of become ill after consuming wild mushroom and admitted in Silapathar Model Hospital.
The doctors later referred all of them to Assam Medical College & Hospital (AMCH) in Dibrugarh for better support.
District Health Department report said that the people concerned had consumed mushroom curry on the night of June 20 and after a few moments of consumption they suffered from vomiting, loose motion and severe abdominal cramp and were admitted to the hospital.
“The patients suffered from poisoning as a result of consuming the poisonous mushrooms”, the health official mentioned in the report.
Following the incidents, the District Health Department led by Dhemaji Joint Director of Health Services Dr Saurav Kr Gogoi and Chief Medical Officer (CD) Dr Kishore Kr Kaman conducted day-long awareness camps at the places on Friday.
The doctors warned people, especially those living in the rural pockets, not to consume unidentified mushrooms.
Mushrooms bloom in the wild during this season and the rural people sometimes collect toxic mushrooms mistakenly for consumption because of their lack of knowledge.
According to doctors, symptoms of mushroom poisoning vary from gastric problems to life-threatening organ failure resulting in death.
In some cases, serious symptoms do not occur immediately after taking the toxic mushroom, but the toxin may impair major internal organs like the kidney and liver.