(HealthDay) -- You probably know that many kinds of mushrooms are dangerous to eat, and some are even deadly. But children sometimes eat mushrooms they find growing in the wild.
If this happens, it's important not to panic. First of all, the American Academy of Family Physicians says only about 100 of the thousands of types of mushrooms growing in North America are poisonous.
So stay calm, but call a doctor, emergency room or poison-control center. You may be instructed to induce vomiting with a dose of syrup of ipecac. Then get your child to the emergency room or your doctor. If he has vomited, the worst may be over. If not, the doctor may take other measures to cause him to vomit.
Also, dig up some mushrooms like the one your child swallowed, and be sure to keep the underground parts intact. This should help health-care workers identify the mushroom.
