A 4-year-old girl died during the night from Wednesday to Thursday in Palermo, Sicily, after several days of hospitalization. According to doctors cited by “La Repubblica”, the analyzes carried out indicate that the child, named Anna Rosa, died of diphtheria. Samples were sent to the Higher Institute of Health (ISS) for confirmation.
The parents had refused to have their daughter vaccinated against diphtheria, despite the vaccination obligation in Italy. They are in fact convinced that an injection had caused autism in a member of their family. A belief contradicted by scientific data: no causal link between vaccines and autism has been demonstrated.
The first symptoms appeared at the beginning of the previous week: fever, lack of appetite and vomiting. The family initially thought it was a seasonal condition. According to “La Repubblica”, the child’s pediatrician, worried about her condition, asked the parents on Tuesday to take her to the hospital, citing possible diphtheria.
However, it was only on Saturday August 15, when the little girl was experiencing serious difficulty breathing and her fever continued to rise, that she was taken to the emergency room of the Cervello hospital in Palermo. His condition was already very serious. Intubated, she was then transferred to pediatric intensive care.
Doctors increased treatments to try to save her. In particular, she received antidiphtheria serum and intravenous treatments. Hemodialysis was also performed to eliminate the toxin produced by the bacteria from the blood. Faced with the deterioration of her condition, she was again placed on ECMO, a device temporarily ensuring the functions of the heart and lungs.
The little girl finally died on Thursday around 2:30 a.m. following multiple organ failure. “We did everything possible to save her from the moment we took care of her,” said Domenico Cipolla, health director of the Civico hospital, quoted by “La Repubblica”.
A cousin also hospitalized
A cousin of the victim, also aged 4 and presenting similar symptoms, was hospitalized. However, his condition is not considered serious. He would have received the first three doses of vaccination. The girl’s three brothers and sisters were also vaccinated after her hospitalization.
The Palermo public prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation. The child’s body has been sequestered and an autopsy must be carried out in order to determine precisely the causes of his death.
What is diphtheria?
Diphtheria is a potentially fatal acute bacterial infection, which is transmitted particularly by the respiratory route. Having become very rare in industrialized countries thanks to vaccination, it can cause obstruction of the respiratory tract and release a toxin capable of damaging several organs. According to the Italian Ministry of Health, cited by “La Repubblica”, five cases had been reported in the country since 2000. Specialists point out that the almost complete disappearance of the disease does not mean that the risk has disappeared, in particular for unvaccinated people.
