News Brief

The Health Ministry on Tuesday called on Israelis to beware poisonous mushrooms, after a 53 year old Carmiel man was taken to a hospital and treated for mushroom poisoning, when he ate soup he prepared with mushrooms he picked in a field. The man was diagnosed at a hospital in Nahariya, after being treated for sweating, stomach cramps, and hallucinations by Magen David Adom rescue workers.

The Health Ministry said that there were 400 kinds of mushrooms in Israel, only 40 of which were edible. Each year, it said, hundreds of people were treated for mushroom poisoning, and in some cases paralysis or even death ensues. Unless the person picking the mushrooms was an expert, the Ministry said, it would be better for Israelis to buy their mushrooms in the market.