One dead, nine hospitalized, some in serious condition. The toll of people who have fallen ill after eating a sausage and turnip top sandwich purchased from a food truck in Diamante (Cosenza) is becoming increasingly dramatic .
The victim, a 52-year-old man from Naples, fell ill near Lagonegro (Potenza), where he was returning to the Campania capital. His family immediately called for help, but he died shortly before arriving at the San Giovanni hospital in Potenza.
Those who ate the sandwich subsequently experienced the typical symptoms of botulism poisoning: blurred vision and vomiting. Since Wednesday evening, nine people have sought medical treatment at the Cosenza hospital . And now the possibility of a full-blown outbreak is suspected.
Among those hospitalized in the intensive care unit are two 17-year-olds —the first to arrive at the hospital Wednesday evening—and yesterday, several others, including two women in their 40s. Two of the patients were injected with anti-botulinum toxin immune serum sent from Taranto.
One of the vials will be used for a patient already hospitalized, while the other six will be kept as a reserve for any future cases. The mayor of Diamante , a popular tourist destination on the Tyrrhenian coast near Cosenza, urges against "currently unjustified alarmism," given that "there is no clear evidence that the alleged poisoning is related to the activity."
The Cosenza Provincial Health Authority has begun checks by taking samples of the various foods present in the food truck and, reports Mayor Achille Ordine, "as a precautionary and prudential measure, has placed the business under a health blockade" .
The poisonings from Cosenza thus join the eight reported at the end of July in Monserrato. Among them is an 11-year-old boy, the most seriously injured, who was urgently transferred to the Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome in recent days. His condition is currently stable but without any significant improvement, and he remains in pediatric intensive care . Meanwhile, the Cagliari Prosecutor's Office has opened an investigation and placed the organizer of the Fiesta Latina, held from July 22nd to 25th in Monserrato, under investigation.
(Unioneonline)