Vic woman dies after eating amanita phalloides

[nothinghead]

A Melbourne woman has died after eating death cap mushrooms.

The Box Hill woman, aged in her early 50s, was taken to the Austin Hospital in a critical condition on Wednesday, suffering severe poisoning.

http://www.theage.co...0608-201a9.html

[∂an]

Health authorities have urged people not to pick their own mushrooms as the cold damp weather has created the perfect conditions for the poisonous fungi.

 

How about urging people to identify mushrooms before they eat them? The article doesn't even mention the species name, or include a picture, which would be beneficial for public safety I would have thought. Needs to be more public awareness about plants and fungi instead of this kind of simplistic response.

[at0m]

It mentions "Death cap" once or twice. I agree on warning/suggestion people to get proper IDs instead of blatantly saying "don't do it".

Also, there's another thread about this over here http://www.shaman-australis.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=32348

[nothinghead]

Agree, not a hugely useful or responsible article...

Oops, hope the mods can merge 'em.

[toasty]

the ABC article was better, it had a photo and description of it