Gaia Vitiello, a student in Italy, has spoken out about the events that led to her in a hospital bed. She had eaten the same sandwich that killed two people and hospitalized 17 others amid botulism outbreak.
The outbreak took off in recent weeks
A botulism outbreak is being investigated after it killed Luigi Di Sarno, 52, and Tamara D’Acunto, 45, who ate a contaminated sandwich in the Italian town of Diamante, per the Italian news agency ANSA.
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LBC reports that 17 others have been hospitalized for signs of the illness, with five reported to be in intensive care.
Botulism is a foodborne illness
Botulism is caused by the toxic bacterium clostridium botulinum, which can attack the body’s nervous system and cause issues like difficulty breathing, muscle paralysis, and in rare cases, death.
The toxin can develop in foods which have not been processed or stored properly.
The student spoke about her experience
In an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, Vitiello said that she and her friends bought the same sandwich from the food truck on August 5, but she was the only one to add broccoli.
“My friends only had mayonnaise, sausage, and chips. I added broccoli. It was the first time I’d ever done that,” she said.
She spoke about her symptoms
The 24-year-old student shared the symptoms she developed, saying, “I had diarrhea. I thought it was indigestion.”
“The next day, the symptoms worsened. I couldn’t swallow and my legs were shaking.”
Her sister told her to head to the hospital
Although she had planned on waiting it out, Vitiello’s sister was the one to convince her to get checked at the hospital.
“If my sister Alessia hadn’t taken me to the hospital by force, I wouldn’t be here today,” Vitiello said. She was then transported to another hospital where she received the required medical treatment.
It was broccoli preserved in oil
ITV News reported that the product which caused people to fall ill at the food truck was broccoli preserved in oil.
The truck has since been closed by local police, with an investigation on a botulism outbreak taking off, per the Paola Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Patients are being given antidotes
Military aircrafts are transporting botulism antidotes to impacted hospitals, per the Calabria’s Department of Health and Welfare, who also encouraged people to report cases as the antidote is not automatically issued to hospitals.
