In two separate incidents, Afghans evacuated to Poland have been seriously poisoned after eating toxic mushrooms growing near the refugee centres where they are being housed.
In one of the cases, two young boys are in critical condition, with one undergoing a liver transplant today but the other too severely impaired for such a procedure.
The brothers, aged five and six, along with their sister, 17, were hospitalised on Monday after reportedly eating deadly Amanita phalloides mushrooms. The fungus, commonly known as the “death cap”, is the most toxic that grows in Poland, but looks deceptively similar to edible species.
The siblings were among around 1,000 Afghans evacuated by Poland from Kabul. Their family was transported at the request of the United Kingdom., which had employed the father. They were being housed at the Centre for Foreigners in Dębak near Warsaw, which is where they found and ate the mushrooms.
After falling ill, the three children were taken to the Children’s Health Institute (CZD) in Warsaw. While the 17-year-old quickly stabilised and was released today, her younger brothers remain in critical condition.
The six-year-old today received a liver transplant but his “condition remains uncertain”, said Dr Elżbieta Pietraszek, head of the intensive care unit, quoted by Rzeczpospolita.
Lekarze z Centrum Zdrowia Dziecka przekazali najnowsze informacje dotyczące stanu zdrowia młodych Afgańczyków, którzy zatruli się grzybami. Podano, że zabieg przeszczepienia wątroby u 6-latka przebiegł bez powikłań https://t.co/wMRfllgT5S
— Rzeczpospolita (@rzeczpospolita) September 1, 2021
The five-year-old, however, did not qualify for the procedure due to severe damage to his central nervous system. “His brain is irreversibly damaged,” said Dr Marek Migdał, quoted by RMF24.
In a separate incident at another refugee centre, on Monday four adult Afghan citizens also ate poisonous mushrooms which they picked in a forest near the village of Linin. They are in stable condition in hospital, with one already released.
Contrary to some initial media speculation, the refugees were not searching for food because they were underfed at the centres, writes RMF24. Rather, they simply wanted to prepare their own food.
Poland's health ministry has denied reports that one of the two Afghan boys has died after accidentally eating poisonous mushrooms https://t.co/eypWhvMEbP
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) August 30, 2021
Dominika Springer from HumanDoc Foundation told Polsat News that such accidents can spring from cultural differences and lack of “informative support at the time of adaptation”. “Refugees do not expect that anything can threaten them when they are in the holding centre,” she said.
Poland is now hosting 1,021 Afghans evacuated from Kabul following the Taliban’s takeover. For the time being, the state Office for Foreigners (UdSC) is providing them with accommodation, food, medical care and other support in special facilities.
Following the poisoning incidents, the UdSC said it would advise the Afghans not to eat any food of unknown origin. Those in hospital and their families are to receive psychological support.
Main image credit: Alicja from Pixabay/Wikimedia Commons (under public domain)
Agnieszka Wądołowska is deputy editor of Notes from Poland. She has previously worked for Gazeta.pl and Tokfm.pl and contributed to Gazeta Wyborcza, Wysokie Obcasy, Duży Format, Midrasz and Kultura Liberalna
