On June 27, 2024, in this early summer season that should be happy, an ordinary family in Miyi County, Panzhihua City, Sichuan Province suffered a nightmare. What seemed like an ordinary mushroom collection activity in the wild turned into a tragedy. A family of four was hospitalized after ingesting the poisonous Amanita phalloides, one of whom unfortunately died, while the other three are still battling death. This incident not only touched the hearts of local people, but also aroused widespread concern across the country.
A good meal leads to tragedy
On June 19, in Kelang Village, Caochang Township, Miyi County, Ms. Li, 41, and her 15-year-old son went to the mountains not far from their home to pick wild mushrooms as usual. This is a habit of the local villagers and a way to increase the family's income. On this day, however, they stumbled upon the deadly Amanita phalloides.
At noon, Ms. Li's father, Mr. Zhang, 69, came to visit relatives at home. The family had a great time and decided to make a delicious meal with freshly picked wild mushrooms. No one could have imagined that this meal would become the beginning of a nightmare for the family. In the early morning of the next day, the four people showed symptoms of poisoning one after another. They immediately went to the Miyi County People's Hospital for treatment. After the doctor understood the situation, they were immediately given gastric lavage and infusion rescue, and then transferred to the ICU for hemodialysis treatment.
His condition took a turn for the worse
The situation is not getting better. On June 21, Mr. Zhang and his youngest son became ill and were transferred to Panzhihua Central Hospital. The next day, Ms. Li and her 37-year-old husband were also transferred to the hospital due to their deteriorating condition. In just a few days, the hospital issued 6 critical illness notices in a row. The diagnosis results of Panzhihua Central Hospital showed that all four people were suffering from mushroom poisoning (Bailuo umbrella), and had symptoms such as liver damage, acute liver failure, and abnormal coagulation function.
Despite the best efforts of the medical staff, Mr. Zhang, 69, passed away on the evening of June 25. As of June 27, the remaining three are still being treated in hospital and their lives are still in danger. Even more worrying is the fact that my 15-year-old son may need a liver transplant.
Support for the development of various fields of society
Faced with high medical costs, this rural family, which was not wealthy, was in a difficult situation. The family's eldest son, Xiao Peng, a 21-year-old college student, had to launch an online fundraiser for help. His appeal has been widely echoed by all sectors of society. As of 4 p.m. on June 26, more than 22,000 people participated in donations in just one day, raising more than 400,000 yuan. This relay of love is still ongoing, demonstrating the warmth of society.
The local government also acted quickly. Village cadres in Kelang Village, Caochang Township, told reporters that they had applied for temporary assistance and subsistence allowance for the family, and mobilized the whole village to make donations. A number of departments have also carried out extensive publicity activities to remind the public to pay attention to the food safety of wild mushrooms.
Be wary of the dangers of wild mushrooms
This tragedy once again sounded the alarm on the safety of wild mushrooms. According to experts, there are more than 14,000 known species of mushrooms in the world, and more than 4,000 species are estimated to be known on the mainland. Among them, only 1/4 have edible value, and only 1/10 have medicinal value.
Amanita is one of the most dangerous poisonous mushrooms. The Amanita toxins they contain do not reduce toxicity even after being treated at high temperatures. Ingestion may lead to acute liver damage, acute kidney damage, and even neuropsychiatric symptoms. To make matters worse, the incubation period for Amanita poisoning is long, often exceeding 6 hours and sometimes even more than 10 hours. This trait often misleads patients and physicians and delays the best time for treatment.
Reflection and appeal
This tragedy is a stark reminder. While enjoying the gifts of nature, we must maintain enough awe. Although wild mushrooms are delicious, the potential risks should not be ignored. The author believes that we should start from the following aspects to prevent similar tragedies from happening again:
Strengthen popular science education: The government and relevant institutions should increase their efforts to popularize the knowledge of wild mushroom identification, so that more people can understand the dangers.
Improve the medical system: improve the ability of primary medical institutions to diagnose and treat mushroom poisoning, and establish a rapid response mechanism.
Standardize market management: strictly control the picking and sales of wild mushrooms to prevent toxic wild mushrooms from flowing into the market.
Raise personal awareness: The public should raise their awareness of self-protection and refrain from eating wild mushrooms of unknown origin.
Finally, I would like to ask all readers: in your hometown, do you also have the habit of eating wild mushrooms? How do you think traditional practices and food safety should be balanced? It is recommended that everyone try not to eat wild mushrooms. #头条创作挑战赛 ##微头条首发挑战赛#
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