45-year-old woman becomes second person to d!e after eating toxic broccoli

A woman has become the second person to die after eating a toxic vegetable and sausage sandwich in Italy, as more than a dozen others remain in hospital. Tamara DAcunto, 45, died shortly after consuming a panini made with turnip greens from a food truck near the town of Diamante in Calabria. Her death follows that of 52-year-old Luigi Di Sarno, who died on Thursday, August 7, after eating the same type of sandwich from the same vendor. Di Sarnos family members also fell ill and were rushed to Annunziata Hospital in Cosenza, including two 17-year-olds and two women in their 40s. In total, 17 people have been hospitalised with symptoms consistent with botulism within 24 to 48 hours of eating the sandwiches. Nine individuals, including the food truck owner and employees of the company that allegedly made the sandwich, are under investigation. Authorities have seized the food truck and jars of broccoli in oil linked to the case.  Botulism is a rare but potentially life-threatening illness caused by toxins from the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. It attacks the nervous system, leading to breathing difficulties, muscle paralysis, and in about 10 per cent of cases, death. The condition is most often contracted through improperly processed food. Calabria Region’s Department of Health and Welfare said: The emergency procedure established in these cases has been activated, which requires immediate notification to the Poison Control Centre in Pavia, the only national centre designated for the management of botulism. No region or hospital in the country is authorised to store the antivenom in their own facilities. This serum, however, is exclusively available to the Ministry of Health, which holds it in designated secure locations and distributes it only through the Lombardy Poison Control Centre. The outbreak comes just days after eight people in Sardinia were hospitalised with suspected botulism after eating guacamole from a Mexican food stand at the Fiesta Latina festival in Monserrato. In response to the two incidents, authorities have flown in vials of antitoxin serum to treat patients.The post 45-year-old woman becomes second person to d!e after eating toxic broccoli appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.