More mushroom poisoning registered

Almost half involve children

More mushroom poisoning calls to 145

The number of mushroom poisonings increased by 25 percent in 2022 compared to the previous year. The number of consultations with the poisoning emergency number 145 increased by 2.5 percent last year compared to 2021.

As every year, a good 40 percent of the inquiries concerned children of preschool age, these are typically accidents, as Tox Info Suisse announced on Monday. In the case of young people, who make up around 10 percent of the calls, the focus is on intentional poisoning, especially attempted suicide and, to a lesser extent, substance abuse.

The advice on accidental poisoning had increased by 1001 inquiries (around three percent). In contrast, calls about suicide attempts fell by four percent after they had increased significantly in 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic, especially among young people.