A fatal case of predicted botulism has sparked a nationwide broccoli recall in Italy. A man has died, including nine others have been rushed to hospitals after they ate a sandwich containing contaminated broccoli.
Artist and musician, Luigi Di Sarno, 52, died and could not be saved after eating a sausage sandwich containing broccoli from a food truck on the Diamante seafront in the province of Cosenza. According to the local media, soon after eating the sausage, Sarno felt severely ill while driving home and collapsed before reaching the hospital on Thursday.
From his family, two other women, and two children have also become sick and required emergency treatment in Annunziata Hospital in Cozensa. The two women are in their 40s, and the two children are 17.
Authorities said the outbreak has raised immediate food safety concerns and triggered seizures of infected food products.
Medical staff told the media reporters that the patients showed signs of botulism, which is a rare but potentially deadly illness. Toxins produced by Clostridium botulinum bacteria cause the illness.
Two family members from Di Sarno’s family were in serious condition upon arrival to the intensive care unit, according to the hospital staff. It is suspected that it occurred amid a growing botulism outbreak. It took place after a doctor’s warning to people who drink a single cup of tea.
There is an unconfirmed report that a woman has died after she ate a taco with guacamole at a kiosk at the festival in Cagliari.
The Paola Public Prosecutors’ Office has ordered the seizure of broccoli jars in oil and seized the food truck linked to the outbreak.
The Calabria Region’s Department of Health and Welfare stated that the emergency procedure established in these cases has been activated. The authority also added that it required immediate notification to the Poison Control Centre in Pavia. This is the only national centre designated for the management of botulism.
Botulism is a rare yet serious illness caused by a toxin that disrupts the body’s nerves. Botulism can lead to life-threatening complications. The illness can develop from contaminated food and infected wounds. Sometimes, botulism can happen when an excessive amount of botulism toxin is injected into the body for cosmetic purposes.
The symptoms of food-borne botulism include trouble swallowing, facial weakness on both sides of your face, blurred vision, drooping eyelids, nausea, vomiting, and paralysis.
