Key Development 

A suspected botulism outbreak has forced Italian authorities to launch a nationwide recall of broccoli products after a man died and nine others were hospitalised. Officials traced the contamination to broccoli preserved in oil and served in sandwiches from a food truck. Authorities identified the victim as 52-year-old artist and musician Luigi Di Sarno, who was vacationing in Calabria. He bought a broccoli and sausage sandwich from a vendor on the Diamante seafront in Cosenza province. Soon after eating, he became severely ill while driving home and died before reaching the hospital.

Family Members Hospitalised With Severe Symptoms

Four of Di Sarno’s relatives — two women in their 40s and two teenagers — also fell sick. Doctors at Annunziata Hospital in Cosenza confirmed their symptoms matched botulism, a rare but potentially deadly illness caused by toxins from Clostridium botulinum. Two relatives arrived in critical condition and required intensive care. The Paola Public Prosecutor’s Office ordered the seizure of all broccoli jars in oil and impounded the implicated food truck.

Forensic experts are conducting an autopsy to confirm the cause of death, but investigators strongly suspect botulism. Just days earlier, another suspected botulism outbreak in Sardinia hospitalised eight people. They reportedly consumed guacamole from a Mexican food stand at the Fiesta Latina festival in Monserrato between July 22 and 25. Authorities suspect the dip may have been contaminated with the same deadly toxin.

Antitoxin Serum Distributed Under Emergency Measures

Health officials transported antitoxin serum from secure Ministry of Health storage to treat patients in both outbreaks. Italian regulations prohibit hospitals from storing the serum directly; instead, the Ministry holds it in designated facilities and distributes it exclusively through the Lombardy Poison Control Centre.

Source: The Times of India