A family of five was admitted to the Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital here after suffering severe stomach ache and vomiting yesterday evening upon consuming mushrooms.
Mahdzir Baharom, 53, his wife Faridah Yusof, 50, and three daughters Siti Nur Hidayah, 22, Siti Nor Bazuri, 17, and Syafikah, 13, were warded after they ate “Tahun” mushrooms at their home in Taman Impian Kota Sarang Semut.
He said he had gathered the mushrooms, a rare type which grows once a year several days after rainfall, by the Wan Mat Saman Canal for lunch.
“I stumbled upon the mushrooms growing beautifully by the canal on my way home from Sarang Semut town, so I gathered about half a kilogramme for lunch with the family.
“At home, I fried the mushrooms with chilli and ate them along with rice.That was the only dish the family had for lunch,” he told reporters at the hospital.
Mahdzir, an ex-serviceman, said he became unwell as he went from house-to-house to sell “ais kacang” at 2pm.
“I suddenly had stomach ache and started to vomit. I asked for lime from some villagers to soothe my upset stomach but the situation only got worse,” he said,adding that he vomited 10 times during his 15km-long motorcycle ride home.
He said his brother contacted the police and ambulance when he got home and found his wife and children also unwell.
His wife was discharged last night while his daughters are still in hospital.
Mahdzir’s son Mohd Saiful Nazri, 10, was unaffected because he had attended a “kenduri” (feast) and did not have the lunch.
Meanwhile, the hospital director, Dr Juita Ghazalie, said the patientswere in stable condition.
– Bernama