Swiss mushroom pickers face shortage of poison antidote
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Swiss mushroom pickers face shortage of poison antidote
The current shortage of the antidote used to treat mushroom poisoning is problematic. Tox Info Suisse urges amateur mushroom pickers to have all mushroom pickings checked by an official mushroom inspection body.
The antidote used in cases of Amanita phalloides poisoning is not available in Switzerland or abroad until at least mid-November, the Tox Info Suisse foundation said on Monday. Other therapeutic options are also limited.
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Every year, Tox Info Suisse reports several hundred cases of mushroom poisoning, some of them serious. Mushroom poisoning that is not properly treated can be fatal.
+ Good mushroom harvest results in poisoning boom
In 2023, Tox Info saw 98 cases of mushroom poisoning documented by doctors (compared with 91 the previous year), including one serious case in an adult, according to the latest data provided to Keystone-SDA news agency. Only one case, of moderate severity, was attributable to Amanita phalloides.
In order to limit the number of potentially serious health problems to a minimum, the public is invited to have all self-picked mushrooms inspected by a mushroom control station. The addresses of these local control points can be found at www.vapko.ch.
In Switzerland the emergency number for poisoning is 145. Specially trained physicians will give advice 24/7 in cases of poisoning with, for example, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, other drugs, poisonous plants, mushrooms or venomous animals.
Translated from French with DeepL/gw
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