Two toddlers were rushed on Sunday to the Galilee Medical Center’s emergency room after consuming chocolate containing hallucinogenic mushrooms during a family vacation.
The children, aged five-and-a-half and six-and-a-half, have been placed under close observation in the hospital’s pediatric intensive care unit (ICU).
While both were physically stable when they arrived at the emergency room, they had been experiencing neurological symptoms, Galilee Medical Center said in a statement.
The mushrooms are believed to be of the Psilocybe/Panaeolus family, according to the National Poison Control Center, which can cause hallucinations, increased blood pressure, and, in severe cases, seizures and heart damage.
Parents must stay vigilant, seek medical help if necessary
“The children came to us in a state of confusion, with dilated pupils and active hallucinations,” said Dr. Sally Makhom, a physician at the Galilee Medical Center’s Children’s Emergency Department. “We immediately stabilized them and, in coordination with the National Poison [Control] Center, began treatment and monitoring.”
“Due to the volatile nature of this type of poisoning, they were transferred for continued supervision in the pediatric intensive care unit.”
Galilee Medical Center Deputy Director Dr. Zvi Sheleg added that the incident is “a serious and life-threatening incident that has ended so far without critical injury thanks to the vigilance of the parents and the rapid treatment of our medical teams.”
“We call on the public to exercise maximum responsibility, to keep dangerous substances out of reach of toddlers and children, and to seek immediate medical attention if poisoning is suspected.”
