The tragic case was reported by the Republican Vilnius University Hospital. According to them, this is the first fatal case of mushroom poisoning this season. The patient sought help about 48 hours after consuming the mushrooms, when he began to experience diarrhea. Subsequently, his condition deteriorated sharply, and the man could not be saved. Hospital representative Jonaitė Jušionytė stated that the presumed cause of the fatal poisoning was the death cap, which the man may have mistakenly taken for another mushroom. ### Toxins do not disappear after cooking Doctors remind us that one should only collect and consume mushrooms that one is completely sure about. Determining edibility based on a single external characteristic or using folk methods is dangerous. If there are even the slightest doubts, it is better to leave the mushroom in the forest. Cooking does not make a poisonous mushroom safe. Boiling, frying, and freezing do not destroy the most dangerous mushroom toxins. Medical professionals also warn against attempts to determine the edibility of mushrooms solely using artificial intelligence: AI can make mistakes, and the cost of such a mistake can be extremely high. ### Dangerous symptoms may not appear immediately It is especially dangerous to delay seeking medical attention. If severe diarrhea, vomiting, or a sudden deterioration in health occurs after consuming unknown mushrooms, doctors advise not to wait for the symptoms to resolve on their own. Toxicologist Gabija Mikulevičienė warns that some mushroom toxins can seriously damage the liver and kidneys, and severe poisoning can lead to death. Moreover, symptoms of dangerous poisoning may sometimes manifest only a significant time after eating.
