Sacramento, California – Recent winter rain across California has made the conditions perfect for a deadly rise in poisonous wild mushrooms. This has led Sacramento County Public Health to issue another warning as part of a developing statewide health emergency.
Officials believe that the extremely widespread development of Death Cap and Western Destroying Angel mushrooms has already caused several poisonings in the area and serious problems across the state.
Four people in Sacramento County have been found to have been poisoned by amatoxin after eating mushrooms they thought were harmless. These incidents are part of a bigger outbreak of people becoming sick from picking wild mushrooms that continues to occur throughout California. State health experts said that both children and adults have had serious liver damage. So far, three people have died and three adults have had liver transplants.
From November 18, 2025, to January 6, 2026, the California Poison Control System found 35 cases of amatoxin poisoning that required hospitalization in Northern California and the Central Coast. The patients were between 19 months and 67 years old.
Some incidents involved entire families, while others involved individuals who foraged alone. Treatment has been required in numerous counties, including Sacramento, Alameda, Contra Costa, Monterey, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and Sonoma.
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Health officials indicate that most of the documented instances have happened in Monterey County and the San Francisco Bay Area. However, the danger is much greater than those areas. Death Cap mushrooms are known to grow all over California, but they are more common around oak trees, other hardwoods, and some types of pine. Those who got hurt picked mushrooms from several places, such as city parks, county lands, and other public areas, according to investigations.
Health officials say that the threat is much worse because these poisonous mushrooms look so much like mushrooms that are safe to eat. Even people who have been foraging for a long time may have trouble telling them apart. Cooking, boiling, freezing, or drying does not get rid of the poisons, thus eating any kind of wild mushroom is extremely dangerous this time of year.
“We understand that people may not realize the risk of mushroom foraging right now, because these mushrooms can closely resemble edible types,” said Dr. Olivia Kasirye, Sacramento County Public Health Officer.
“That’s why we’re urging residents to avoid wild mushroom foraging altogether and to seek immediate help if exposure is suspected.”
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The California Department of Public Health, California Poison Control, and Sacramento County Public Health are all working together to look into incidents, keep an eye on trends, and reach out to more people. The county is giving out educational materials that were made at the state level and making sure that the same messages are sent out to everyone in order to lower exposure during this high-risk time.
Residents are being urged to take simple but critical precautions. Officials say that people should not harvest wild mushrooms, only buy mushrooms from grocery shops and other stores they trust, and be careful when buying mushrooms from street vendors or other informal sources. You shouldn’t let kids or pets near mushrooms that are growing outside.
If you think you or someone else may have eaten a toxic mushroom, you should call the California Poison Control System hotline at 1-800-222-1222 right away. Health officials say not to wait for symptoms to show up. Early signs include vomiting, diarrhea, stomach discomfort, and dehydration can start within six to twenty-four hours. They may go better for a while, which can hide the risk of liver damage that could be fatal that could happen days later.