Two killed, two children in hospital after eating poisonous guacamole at food festival
The food poisoning outbreak occurred during Fiesta Latina, a three-day food festival in Sardinia held from July 22 to 24, where dozens of revellers began falling sick shortly after consuming an avocado dip served at one of the stalls.
Those who ate the guacamole began to show signs of botulism, a rare but serious illness caused by a toxin produced by the bacterium, clostridium botulinum.
The life-threatening toxin can cause paralysis and severe respiratory issues, often requiring prolonged intensive care.
Among the victims was Valeria Sollai, a 62-year-old school chef, who had eaten an avocado sandwich at the event.
Despite being placed on life support, she died on Monday after weeks of fighting for her life.
Her cousin shared her disbelief over the tragic ordeal.
'It's absurd that someone goes out for a relaxing evening, goes to a party, eats a sandwich and ends up in the hospital,' Gianni Millia told The Sun.
'She was with her sisters, they all ate the same sandwich, but only she fell ill.
'They were celebrating their older sister's discharge from the hospital. A party turned into a tragedy.'
Another victim, Roberta Pitzalis, 38, also consumed the contaminated guacamole before dying on August 8.
An autopsy confirmed her death was caused by a combination of botulism poisoning and pneumonia.
Two children, aged 11 and 14, are still being treated in hospital after reportedly eating from the same batch of guacamole.
As the community reels from the incident, Ms Sollai's son Alessandro has issued a stark warning on social media.
'I strongly advise against eating any food sold at street stalls over the next few weeks.'
The tragedy has intensified public concern over food safety across Italy. Earlier in August, another botulism outbreak was reported in Calabria, in the country's south.
In a separate incident, two people died after eating a contaminated vegetable and sausage sandwich.
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7NEWS
12 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Two killed, two children in hospital after eating poisonous guacamole at food festival
A food festival in Sardinia has ended in heartbreak after a dodgy batch of guacamole left two people dead and several others seriously ill, including two children. The food poisoning outbreak occurred during Fiesta Latina, a three-day food festival in Sardinia held from July 22 to 24, where dozens of revellers began falling sick shortly after consuming an avocado dip served at one of the stalls. Those who ate the guacamole began to show signs of botulism, a rare but serious illness caused by a toxin produced by the bacterium, clostridium botulinum. The life-threatening toxin can cause paralysis and severe respiratory issues, often requiring prolonged intensive care. Among the victims was Valeria Sollai, a 62-year-old school chef, who had eaten an avocado sandwich at the event. Despite being placed on life support, she died on Monday after weeks of fighting for her life. Her cousin shared her disbelief over the tragic ordeal. 'It's absurd that someone goes out for a relaxing evening, goes to a party, eats a sandwich and ends up in the hospital,' Gianni Millia told The Sun. 'She was with her sisters, they all ate the same sandwich, but only she fell ill. 'They were celebrating their older sister's discharge from the hospital. A party turned into a tragedy.' Another victim, Roberta Pitzalis, 38, also consumed the contaminated guacamole before dying on August 8. An autopsy confirmed her death was caused by a combination of botulism poisoning and pneumonia. Two children, aged 11 and 14, are still being treated in hospital after reportedly eating from the same batch of guacamole. As the community reels from the incident, Ms Sollai's son Alessandro has issued a stark warning on social media. 'I strongly advise against eating any food sold at street stalls over the next few weeks.' The tragedy has intensified public concern over food safety across Italy. Earlier in August, another botulism outbreak was reported in Calabria, in the country's south. In a separate incident, two people died after eating a contaminated vegetable and sausage sandwich.
Herald Sun
a day ago
- Herald Sun
Two dead, two recovering after eating poisonous guacamole
Don't miss out on the headlines from World. Followed categories will be added to My News. Two people have died and two children are recovering in hospital after several people were poisoned by a toxic batch of guacamole. The fatally contaminated avocado dip was served up to unsuspecting customers at a food festival in Italy before they showed signs of botulism, The Sun reports. School cook Valeria Sollai, 62, is said to have eaten the guacamole and then was rushed to hospital. But she died on Monday after spending weeks on life support. Roberta Pitzalis, 38, also ate the same batch of guacamole at the festival in Sardinia – before dying on August 8. An autopsy confirmed Roberta died from a combination of botulism poisoning and pneumonia. Several others required hospital treatment following the horrifying ordeal at the Fiesta Latina festival. The food event took place in Monserrato, in Cagliari, between July 22-24. One boy and one girl, aged 11 and 14 respectively, remain in hospital and are reported to have eaten from the same batch of guacamole. A post-mortem for Valeria is set to take place. She showed signs of recovery before suffering a relapse and tragically dying. Her cousin Gianni Milia said: 'It's absurd that someone goes out for a relaxing evening, goes to a party, eats a sandwich and ends up in the hospital.' 'She was with her sisters, they all ate the same sandwich, but only she fell ill.' She added: 'They were celebrating their older sister's discharge from the hospital. A party turned into a tragedy.' Describing Valeria, Monserrato mayor Tomaso Locci said: 'She gave so much for our children. 'The news saddens us deeply. We will be present at the funeral as a community, as we were for Roberta Pitzalis, the other victim. 'This is a loss that affects us all.' Valeria is survived by her husband, Angelo Aru, and her son Alessandro, a police officer in Campania. In a Facebook post last month, Alessandro spoke about an unnamed patient with 'worsening neurological conditions'. He also made a heartbreaking appeal for people to be more careful with street food. He said: 'I strongly advise against eating any food sold at street stalls over the next few weeks.' The poisoned 14-year-old girl is being treated at Monserrato Policlinico hospital. Meanwhile, the 11-year-old has been flown to Rome's Gemelli Policlinico and is said to be in a serious condition. It comes amid mounting concern over food safety in Italy following similar events across the country. Another deadly botulism outbreak was reported in the southern region of Calabria earlier this month. It also comes after two people in Italy died after eating a toxic veggie and sausage sandwich in Italy. More than a dozen people were hospitalised after eating the poisoned sandwiches from a food truck near the town of Diamante in Calabria. Tamara D'Acunto, 45, died shortly after eating the panini made with turnip greens – a vegetable similar to broccoli – last week. Luigi Di Sarno, 52, also died after taking a fatal bite from a sandwich bought from the same vendor. In total, 17 other people have so far been hospitalised with food poisoning within 24 to 48 hours of eating the sandwiches. They all showed signs of botulism – which is caused by a toxin that attacks the body's nerves. The illness can lead to muscle paralysis, breathing difficulties and death. It is typically caused by canned, preserved and fermented foods. This article originally appeared in The Sun and has been reproduced with permission. Originally published as Two killed including school cook after eating poisonous guacamole, as two children recover in hospital
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