Poland: Afghan family tragically loses second child in two days to mushroom poisoning

A day after the death of a five-year-old kid, the second child of an Afghan family who had been airlifted from Kabul died in Poland after eating toxic mushrooms. In spite of getting an emergency liver transplant, the doctors were unable to save the life of the six-year-old boy.

Both the kids were admitted to Warsaw's major children's hospital. Their 17-year-old sister was also admitted and treated in the hospital and was discharged in perfect health. According to doctors, the toxin doses were less harmful to an adult as they have higher body mass.

More about the Afghan evacuee boy who died after eating toxic mushrooms

The family along with the two boys came to Poland on August 23 following the Taliban seizure and were quarantined at a refugee centre in Podkowa Lesna, nearby Warsaw. In a statement, the Children's Memorial Health Institute in Warsaw said that the death of the child has been recorded. According to the hospital authorities, the youngsters ate the poisonous mushrooms the day after they came, yet the reason for their mushroom consumption is still unknown.   

As per the Office for Foreigners, which oversees migration centres in Poland, five people needed medical help for stomach issues, though they did not immediately reveal if they had eaten mushrooms. Officials are looking into the matter of whether the poisoning which happened last week was caused by carelessness.

Remarks from the officials of the refugee centre

A representative from the Office for Foreigners, Jakub Dudziak, dismissed a news article stating that the youngsters ate the mushrooms as they were undernourished at the refugee centre. As per the representative, evacuees in the centre are supplied with three meals per day with each meal comprising a variety of calorically suitable foods, such as dairy products, meat, veggies, fruits, as well as beverages. Dudziak further added that the staff from the office of foreigners will now educate Afghan residents about the dangers of consuming items of uncertain origin.

According to the news portal OKO.press, the father of the children was an accountant for the British army for numerous years. Following the evacuation operation, Poland rescued nearly 1,231 Afghans, many on behalf of the European Union and other third-country international bodies.

According to The Guardian, there are around 1,300 different types of mushrooms in Poland, with 200 of them being deadly. Mushrooms are a popular meal, but distinguishing the deadly ones from edible varieties requires a thorough knowledge indeed.

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