One man has died and nine other people are in the hospital after eating sandwiches containing broccoli during a botulism outbreak in Italy.
According to The Mirror and 7 News, 52-year-old Luigi Di Sarno collapsed after eating a broccoli and sausage sandwich from a food truck in Diamante, a coastal town in Calabria. Di Sarno, an artist and musician, was among several people who ate the same sandwich. Two teenagers and some of his family members were also sickened and taken to Annunziata Hospital, where they are in intensive care. Two of the patients are still in serious condition.
This comes just two weeks after a 38-year-old woman died in Cagliari, Sardinia, after eating a taco with guacamole at a festival. An 11-year-old boy who also ate the guacamole was flown to Rome for treatment.
Italian health officials are investigating the botulism cases, collecting food samples, and shutting down affected food vendors. While no official recall has been confirmed, local media say authorities are seizing broccoli preserved in oil.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explains that botulism is caused by a toxin called clostridium botulinum. It attacks the body’s nerves, making it hard to breathe, and can cause paralysis or even death. Foodborne botulism often comes from foods that were improperly canned, preserved, or fermented, though it can also occur in store-bought foods.
Diamante’s mayor, Achille Ordine, has urged people not to panic or spread rumors while the investigation continues. The Calabria Department of Health and Welfare asked that all suspected botulism cases be reported to Italy’s Poison Control Center. Hospitals do not normally keep the antidote, but the military has delivered emergency supplies to affected hospitals.
Annunziata Hospital now has an emergency stock of the antidote, officials said, to deal with this rare but serious outbreak.
