An Iranian Health Ministry official announced on Monday that consumption of toxic wild fungi in western parts of the country has poisoned more than 800 people and killed 11 so far.
More than 200 people have been hospitalized, the official added, noting that mushroom poisoning has no effective medical treatment and many victims may need liver transplantation.
Hundreds of people in the Iranian provinces of Kermanshah, Kordestan, Lorestan, Zanjan, West Azerbaijan, Kohgiluye and Boyer-Ahmad, and Qazvin have been poisoned after eating the wild mushrooms that grow in mountainous areas following spring showers.
Officials say the appearance of the toxic mushrooms is so similar to the edible ones that even the local residents could not notice a distinction.