Botulinum: Second victim in Sardinia, 62-year-old woman dies
There is a second victim of probable botulism poisoning in Sardinia , after the Fiesta Latina last July in Monserrato .
This is Valeria Sollai , 62 years old, who died during the night at the University Hospital of Monserrato where she had been hospitalized in the intensive care unit for weeks.
The woman, who worked as a cook at a primary and nursery school, had attended the Fiesta Latina in Monserrato (the center of the metropolitan city of Cagliari) where she had consumed dishes based on guacamole.
Like other people, she had been ill and immediately hospitalized after the first symptoms. Her condition, though serious, initially appeared stable.
Over the days, however, his condition worsened, and then he died. To determine the exact cause, we will need to await the results of the autopsy ordered by the Public Prosecutor's Office, which has opened a case file on the matter.
A 14-year-old girl remains hospitalized at the Monserrato university hospital, while the other 4 patients admitted after attending the party have been discharged from the Brotzu hospital in Cagliari.
The 11-year-old boy remains at Rome's Gemelli Hospital, having been admitted to Brotzu Hospital in Cagliari and then urgently transferred to Rome due to worsening conditions. His condition is now improving, although, according to pediatric intensive care doctors, his recovery will be long and rehabilitation could soon be possible.
On August 8th, 36-year-old Roberta Pitzalis died, also poisoned by the killer bacteria during the same demonstration. The autopsy ordered by the Prosecutor's Office on the woman, who died at Cagliari's Businco Hospital after being transferred from Brotzu, confirmed that she died from botulinum toxin poisoning, compounded by hemorrhagic pneumonia related to the intubation she underwent during her hospital stay. The Prosecutor's Office has opened a case and has listed the owner of the kiosk where the food was consumed as a suspect.
Meanwhile, mobile kitchens have come under scrutiny by the NAS Carabinieri of Latina. Six inspections and as many violations reported, over 96 kilos of food were seized and destroyed, for a total of €8,000 in administrative fines.
This is the outcome of the latest operation carried out between Sabaudia and Terracina, as part of the "Quiet Summer 2025" campaign, organized by the Carabinieri Health Protection Command in Rome.
This activity is no coincidence: extraordinary checks have also been stepped up in light of recent news stories related to botulism, which have highlighted the safety of food sold on the street and consumed during crowded summer events.
In Sabaudia, the military found the first irregularity in a food truck, where the food handler had never received the training required by HACCP regulations.
This is a significant detail, considering that anyone handling food intended for public consumption must be aware of minimum hygiene procedures to reduce the risk of contamination.
The shopkeeper was fined €1,000.
Not far away, another vehicle was exposing customers to an even more serious danger: in the refrigerator compartment, the Carabinieri found 36 kilos of meatballs with a shelf life that had long expired.
The goods, in violation of self-inspection procedures, were immediately sent for destruction, while the owner was fined €2,000. Also in Sabaudia, a mobile food truck was hiding a similar situation. Here, checks led to the discovery of 60 kilos of meat products, some of which had expired and some of which were completely untraceable.
In this case too, the food was seized and destined for destruction, while the retailer will have to pay a €2,000 fine.
Moving to Terracina, three different food trucks exhibited obvious hygiene and structural deficiencies: dirty surfaces, worn equipment, and work environments far from the minimum standards required for serving food to the public. The owners of each truck were fined €1,000, underscoring the severity of the conditions found.
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