Eating black catworm, 3 people in critical condition with multiple organ failure

On May 30, Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen, Director of the Poison Control Center (Bach Mai Hospital) said that the center is treating three male patients poisoned by black caterpillars .

Previously, on May 26, these people had eaten fried Ban Mieu worms. About 20 minutes after eating, all 3 people experienced stomach pain, vomiting and vomiting blood, difficulty breathing, blistering of the tongue mucosa...

Caterpillars brought to the hospital by the patient's family

The patient was transferred to Lang Son General Hospital with a diagnosis of poisoning due to eating Ban Mieu worms, multiple organ failure. The patients were then transferred to the Poison Control Center (Bach Mai Hospital).

After 5 days of treatment, 2 out of 3 patients have shown signs of recovery, while the male patient NVK (38 years old, from Hung Yen ) still has a very serious prognosis. The patient is currently receiving intensive treatment.

According to Dr. Nguyen, the caterpillar has a black body or yellow or light red spots with black horizontal stripes. The Poison Control Center has received many patients who were poisoned and critically ill due to eating caterpillars. In addition, some cases have mistaken caterpillars for stink bugs, leading to poisoning.

Male patient poisoned by black moth

The toxin of the caterpillar is cantharidin, which is very toxic and destroys tissues and organs in the body. Patients poisoned by the caterpillar often suffer from multiple organ damage, low blood pressure, respiratory failure, etc., and the mortality rate is up to more than 50%.

Doctor Nguyen recommends that if people come into contact with the caterpillar and are burned, have red blisters on their skin or eyes, they should wash the burned area with clean water and go to the hospital immediately.

In medicine , the caterpillar is used in some traditional medicine, but because of its high toxicity, medical experts recommend that people should not arbitrarily collect and use it.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/suc-khoe/an-sau-ban-mieu-den-3-nguoi-suy-da-tang-nguy-kich-20230530161312687.htm