Three deaths, twenty people hospitalized, some still in serious condition. Two food products are under scrutiny, and two investigations are underway by the Cagliari and Cosenza prosecutors.
The botulism scare, which started a couple of weeks ago in Monserrato, has spread to Calabria and in the last two days, with the first victims, has taken on the characteristics of a real psychosis.
The victims
Roberta Pitzalis, 38, died yesterday. She had attended and eaten at the Fiesta Latina in Monserrato. An engineer, she worked as a clerk for a financial firm. Originally from Guasila, she had long lived in the town outside Cagliari. The first to be hospitalized, she had been in intensive care at Brotzu Hospital since the end of July. Her condition was serious but stable, but then sudden complications led to her transfer to Businco Hospital, where she died.
Two people died in the food poisoning outbreak that centered in Diamante, a tourist resort on the Tyrrhenian coast near Cosenza. Luigi Di Sarno, a 52-year-old tourist from Cercola (Naples), after eating a sandwich from a food truck, began to feel unwell and decided to go to a private clinic in Belvedere Marittimo, where he was advised to seek treatment at a more well-equipped facility. He then returned to his vacation home, but since his condition didn't improve, he considered returning to Campania. His condition worsened along the way, and his family alerted 118. An air ambulance also responded, but Di Sarno died before reaching the hospital in Lagonegro (Potenza).
The other victim, a 45-year-old woman from Praia a Mare, also felt unwell after eating and went to the same clinic.
The hospitalized
There are twenty in total, some in serious condition, others already discharged. Twelve in Calabria, eight in Sardinia. On the island, an 11-year-old boy was transferred to the Gemelli Hospital in Rome: he is the most seriously ill, having undergone a tracheostomy. The fourteen-year-old girl who was taken to the Policlinico Hospital is doing better. She is now breathing on her own, but remains in intensive care. A sixty-two-year-old girl remains intubated in the same ward.
Foods under scrutiny
In Monserrato, the guacamole used to season tacos has come under scrutiny. Specifically, two batches of "Metro Chef avocado pulp" have been recalled by the Ministry of Health due to the possible presence of botulinum toxin. This guacamole ingredient, originating in Peru, may be at the root of the poisoning.
In Calabria, all the poisoned people had eaten a sandwich with broccoli and sausage. Broccoli, in particular, was the target here, so much so that the Paola prosecutor's office ordered the immediate seizure of the product throughout Italy—the broccoli in oil, which is believed to be the source of the poisoning.
The investigations
In Cagliari, the only suspect is Cristian Gustavo Vincenti, an Argentinean longtime resident of Turin, who owned the kiosk where the contaminated food was allegedly served. Following the death of Roberta Pitzalis, his situation has worsened, with the charge being changed from assault to manslaughter. Today, the prosecutor in charge of the case, Giangiacomo Pilia, will instruct coroner Matteo Nioi to perform an autopsy on the 38-year-old's body. A top expert from the ISS has been recruited to examine the taco and guacamole samples seized by the NAS (National Health Authority) and local health authority inspectors in Porto Frailis, Arbatax, where the Fiesta Latina caravan landed after its stop in Monserrata.
Paola's prosecutor, Domenico Fiordalisi, has instead registered three individuals under investigation for various crimes, including manslaughter, negligent personal injury, and trafficking in harmful food substances. These individuals are the street vendor who allegedly sold the contaminated product from his truck, and the legal representatives of two companies that allegedly supplied the food used to prepare the products sold. The findings, the prosecutor's office emphasizes, also indicate that the truck "was parked all day in the sun, a condition that may have favored the proliferation of botulinum toxins in perishable products, especially if not properly stored." The investigation also focuses on the private clinic in Belvedere Marittimo, where the victims had gone after the first symptoms but apparently did not receive treatment. A lack of timely diagnosis aggravated the clinical course.
(Unioneonline)