A man has died, and nine others have been hospitalized, after they ate sandwiches containing broccoli amid a botulism outbreak
Luigi Di Sarno, 52, collapsed and later died after eating a broccoli and sausage sandwich from a food truck
Investigators are now looking into the botulism outbreak, and a local Poison Control Center is distributing antidotes for the foodborne illness to hospitals
A man has died, and nine others have been hospitalized, after they ate sandwiches containing broccoli amid a botulism outbreak.
According to reports from The Mirror and 7 News, 52-year-old Luigi Di Sarno collapsed after eating a sandwich from a food truck in the Italian town of Diamante, located along the coast in Calabria.
Di Sarno, an artist and musician, was among several people who ate a broccoli and sausage sandwich. The other victims, including two teenagers and members of Di Sarno’s family, were taken to the nearby Annunziata Hospital and placed in intensive care.
The Mirror reported that two of the patients are still in serious condition.
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The news comes about two weeks after a 38-year-old woman died after eating a taco with guacamole at a festival in Cagliari, located on the Italian island of Sardinia.
An 11-year-old boy, who also ate the guacamole, was flown to Rome from Sardinia and hospitalized, the outlets reported.
The Mirror and 7 News also reported that various Italian government agencies are investigating the botulism outbreak and are collecting samples of the affected foods, as well as shutting down food vendors that have been impacted.
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Although the type of product that has been recalled has not been confirmed, 7 News reported that officials are seizing broccoli preserved in oil, per local outlets.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), botulism is caused by the toxin clostridium botulinum. It attacks the body’s nerves and causes difficulty breathing, muscle paralysis and even death in rare cases.
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“Foodborne botulism can happen by eating foods that have been contaminated with botulinum toxin,” the CDC states. “Common sources of foodborne botulism are homemade foods that have been improperly canned, preserved or fermented. Though uncommon, store-bought foods also can be contaminated with botulinum toxin.”
Achille Ordine, the mayor of Diamante, asked the public in a statement shared on Facebook on Aug. 7 to not panic or circulate rumors as the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Paola is investigating.
The Calabria’s Department of Health and Welfare also said in an Aug. 8 statement that any cases of botulism should be reported to Italy’s Poison Control Center, as hospitals do not stock the botulism antidote on a regular basis.
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Military aircraft recently transported the antidote to various impacted hospitals, the agency added.
“Annunziata Hospital currently has a stockpile of the antidote. This is an exceptional measure due to the emergency situation, despite the fact that standard practice does not require hospitals to directly hold the drug,” the department wrote.
