HARARE, March 9 (Xinhua) -- At least 15 people have died in separate cases of mushroom poisoning in Zimbabwe since Feb. 28, according to Zimbabwean state media.
In the latest reported case, seven children and their grandmother from Filabusi, Matabeleland South, ate poisonous mushrooms last Saturday leading to the death of four children this week, the Herald newspaper reported Friday.
The other three children are admitted at Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo, where one is in critical condition, while the grandmother is admitted at Filabusi District Hospital.
The clinical director at Mpilo Central Hospital Solwayo Ngwenya has since warned people to desist from picking mushrooms from the bush.
"I want to warn members of the public to desist from consuming mushrooms they randomly pick from the bush. To avoid endangering their lives people must avoid buying even those mushrooms that are being sold by vendors on the streets," he said in an earlier interview.
Local media reported that 11 people from Mberengwa District had died after eating poisonous mushrooms last week.
Many Zimbabweans harvest mushrooms during the rainy season to use as relish to go with their staple food sadza, a thick porridge cooked from grains.