Intensive treatment unit
September 3, 2023
Drama about a child in northern Italy: After eating cheese, the girl was in the ICU for a month and a half.
Doctors in Trento, northern Italy, have been fighting for the life of a two-year-old girl since mid-July. The girl suffers from acute kidney failure and needs artificial ventilation. The supposedly harmless trigger for his bad condition: a piece of cheese.
Neither the two-year-old child nor his parents could have imagined that its consumption would have such a serious impact on the child’s health. According to “Corriere del Trentino”, the family was staying in an alpine hut in Coredo, about half an hour from Trento. When visiting the hut, the girl was also given a small piece of cheese to eat.
Blood analysis brought diagnosis
A few days later the drama began. The girl complained of feeling unwell; the water she had drunk was initially considered a possible motive. But when the child’s blood samples were analyzed, it was discovered that the cheese was to blame. It was infected with the bacteria Escherichia coli. These can cause hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) in children, in the case of girls, the so-called Stech-Hus.
A small piece of cheese was enough
According to the mother, the little girl only ate a small piece of cheese – but that is enough for an infection, which can be fatal, especially in young children – as was the case in this case. The two-year-old has been admitted to the intensive care unit since mid-July. Doctors’ prognosis: uncertain.
Authorities are investigating the owner of the cabin
Now, the Alpine shepherd who was in the hut where the contaminated cheese was served has come into the crosshairs of the Trento Public Prosecutor’s Office. This and the Italian health authority began investigations because bacteria were found “whose quantity far exceeds the permitted limit”.
The mountain cabin and associated cheese factory have officially closed. The owner faces charges of grievous bodily harm and violating the Food Protection Act.