Kelli Suvi, the head of prevention at the Poison Information Center, stated that there have been 35 calls related to viper bites this year.

"Vipera berus (adder) are indeed active. The Poison Information Center's helpline has already received 35 calls this year related to viper bites. There are days when our nurse-consultant has to provide guidance to as many as three viper bite victims," Suvi told ERR.

According to Suvi, these encounters resulting in bites have occurred both in forests and in home gardens.

"Adders are attracted to yards by rats and mice, so it's important to keep the surroundings clean of them. Additionally, adders do not like being in low grass. When clearing old piles of stones or branches from the garden or working in tall grass or between wood stacks, it's advisable to be especially careful," Suvi advised.

Last year, the total number of calls related to vipers was 44. Suvi noted that the adders became active in May this year, compared to April last year.

"Looking at the statistics, there's a risk that we may exceed last year's numbers, as the viper season lasts until October," Suvi said.

The Poison Information Center recommends that people wear appropriate clothing when doing gardening or walking in the forest to avoid viper bites and not to be overly confident around the snakes.

"When moving in forests and bushes, always wear high rubber boots; when weeding bushes, wear gloves and keep the lawn mowed. If you see an adder, move away from it – trying to catch the snake like a hero can result in multiple bites instead of just one. This happened, for instance, to an older gentleman who tried to grab an adder to show it to a neighbor's boy," Kelli Suvi stated.

Some mushrooms can make you feel ill when consumed with alcohol

This July has been relatively wet, leading to an early start of the mushroom season. According to Suvi, the peak season for poisonous mushrooms hasn't yet arrived, but there have been some reports.

"People are indeed actively foraging for mushrooms, but fortunately, we are not currently at the peak season for poisonous mushrooms. The first chanterelle dishes of the year have caused mild digestive issues in a few callers. The real problem for callers has been mushrooms growing in home lawns that children have eaten," Suvi explained.

Suvi also cautioned against consuming mushrooms that can cause an antabuse reaction.

An antabuse reaction results in a very unpleasant sensation caused by taking an alcoholism medication with alcohol. This reaction underlies the effectiveness of disulfiram, commonly known as "the implant," used in the treatment of alcohol dependence: this substance prevents the normal breakdown of alcohol in the liver, and when alcohol and disulfiram are consumed together, alcohol breakdown products accumulate in the body.

Mushrooms that should not be consumed with alcohol include oak bolete, certain clitocybe species, shaggy parasol, morels and ink cap mushrooms.

The Poison Information Center advises people that it is unwise to pick unknown mushrooms.

There have also been calls to the poisoning hotline from parents of young children who have eaten poisonous berries.

"Parents are currently most concerned about red berries eaten by toddlers in forests or garden corners. The variety is vast – red currants are suitable for eating, but they are often confused with red elderberries, honeysuckle, spindle, bittersweet nightshade or mezereum berries. If poisonous berries are accidentally ingested, remove any berry remnants from the mouth and rinse with water. When assessing the situation, we recommend using the five-berry rule: eating up to five berries generally does not cause serious health issues. Most poisonous berries have an unpleasant taste, and children typically do not consume many," Suvi concluded.

The 24-hour Poison Information Center hotline can be reached at 16662.

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