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Botulism Survivor Gaia Vitiello Recalls Broccoli Panino Ordeal and Lifesaving Antitoxin

Her story spotlights the wider outbreak that has triggered criminal probes, food recalls, intensified inspections across Italy

Overview

  • Gaia experienced diarrhea, tremors and swallowing difficulty within 24 hours of eating a broccoli-topped sandwich at the ‘Peppino’ food truck in Diamante.
  • Her sister Alessia forced her to seek care at Clinica Tirrenia and Ospedale dell’Annunziata, where ICU chief Andrea Bruni administered antitoxin supplied from the military pharmacy in Taranto.
  • The ASP Cosenza bulletin reports 11 hospitalizations so far, including three in intensive care, three in pediatrics and five in medical wards.
  • The International Streetfood Festival cancelled its Calabria events as NAS Carabinieri initiated nationwide vendor inspections.
  • Prosecutors in Paola and Cagliari and the Istituto Superiore di Sanità continue criminal probes and laboratory analyses to trace the contamination source.