A British teenager with a peanut allergy has died on a family holiday after eating at a pizzeria in Rome.
The 14-year-old was having dinner in the Gianicolense district and went into anaphylactic shock about 15 minutes after the family got back to their hotel.
According to Italian media, it is believed the young girl ate a dessert with traces of peanut allergens in dried fruit. She passed away shortly after being admitted to San Camillo hospital and her father, suffering from shock, was also hospitalised with heart issues.
The incident happened last Thursday and was reportedly the family’s first meal of the holiday. They had tours booked for the Colosseum and Vatican Museums for the following days.
Prosecutors in Rome have opened a manslaughter investigation, which, in Italy, in cases like this typically proceeds against unknown parties. Police plan to test dishes from the restaurant for traces of peanuts and other dried fruits.
Investigators have spoken to the restaurant’s owners, according to Corriere della Sera. ASL Roma 3, which looks after health services in that district of the city, has also begun hygienic and health checks to verify the presence of allergen lists in the pizza restaurant.
Investigators said they are looking into whether the allergen was present in the pre-packaged dessert the girl had. The family has reportedly returned to England and her body will be repatriated once the medical-legal investigations, ordered by the Prosecutor’s Office, are completed.
A spokesperson for the British embassy confirmed it was supporting the family of a British child who had died in Italy and was in contact with local authorities.
This tragedy follows a similar incident nearly nine years ago, when seven-year-old Cameron Wahid, who was allergic to dairy, died after eating pasta containing milk on a family holiday along the Amalfi coast.
Cameron had an allergic reaction, suffered a heart attack and despite initial attempts to save him, passed away in the hospital. His family, from East Grinstead, West Sussex, pursued legal action against the Scala restaurant that had been notified of Cameron’s dairy allergy.
In 2019, a Salerno court convicted a waiter of manslaughter with a suspended two-year sentence, while the chef was acquitted. The family was awarded £288,000 in compensation.
