Three children in Katendewa village in Bamba, Kilifi County have died after consuming poisonous mushrooms while seven others are currently admitted at the Kilifi Referral Hospital.
The children, ranging from three to ten years and from one family, gathered the mushroom from a nearby forest and prepared it before consuming it, not knowing it was not fit for human consumption.
According to the hospital’s medical superintendent Dr. Malik Ul-Ashar, one of the children died at Bamba Sub County Hospital on Sunday, another one succumbed on the way to Kilifi Referral Hospital and the third one succumbed on Monday at the hospital.
He further said five children are currently receiving treatment at the general ward and two at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
“We took samples of the mushrooms with the assistance of Pwani University and we found that the type of mushrooms is likely to produce aflatoxins called amatoxins which are hyper toxins,” said Dr. Malik.
Christine Furaha, who is also one of the victims and is currently receiving treatment at the Kilifi referral hospital, however, revealed that it wasn’t the first time the family ate the mushrooms.
”On Friday afternoon, the kids went into the forest and harvested the mushrooms, my sister-in-law prepared them and we ate them with ugali.
At night, one of the children started vomiting and had diarrhea, ” Christine said.
He was taken to the dispensary on Saturday evening, but there was no doctor, so the parents went to a pharmacy where he was treated.
“His condition worsened during the night and he was rushed to Bamba sub-county hospital where he died on Sunday morning,” she added.
Ms. Furaha reported that the health of other children also deteriorated and they were taken to the same facility.
She however noted that she also ate the mushrooms but only experienced severe heartburn.
The bodies of the dead children have been taken to the Kilifi county hospital mortuary while the five in the ward are showing signs of improvement.
