A 24-year-old student has described how she “couldn’t swallow and her legs were shaking” after eating a broccoli sandwich that nearly killed her. Gaia Vitiello, a student at the Federico II University of Naples, added broccoli to her sandwich from a food truck in Diamante, Calabria, during a night out on 5 August.
She said she “wouldn’t normally have had broccoli” but decided to on this occasion. An hour later, she experienced diarrhoea, and by the next day her symptoms worsened. “If my sister Alessia hadn't taken me to the hospital by force, I wouldn't be here today,” she told local media. She was admitted to Annunziata Hospital in Cosenza and placed in intensive care after being diagnosed with botulism.
Vitiello was given the correct medicine quickly and has since recovered. However, two other people have died after eating sandwiches from the same vendor. Tamara D’Acunto, 45, and Luigi Di Sarno, 52, both died from botulism poisoning. Eight more people have been hospitalised, including members of Mr Di Sarno’s family.
Broccoli has been recalled across Italy following the outbreak, and the food truck has been seized. The Calabria Region’s Department of Health and Welfare activated emergency procedures, which require immediate notification to the Poison Control Center in Pavia. The first vials of antivenom were sent from the Military Pharmacy in Taranto, with additional supplies distributed via an aircraft to Rome.
