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Diphtheria death and investigation in Palermo

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2026-08-23 05:37 UTC → 2026-08-23 06:51 UTC · added ~~removed~~

In Palermo, Italy, authorities have launched investigations following the death of a four-year-old girl, Anna Rosa Bartolotta, from suspected diphtheria. The child was unvaccinated, a decision her ~~parents~~ parents, Emanuele Bartolotta and Manuela Maggio, reportedly made due to concerns regarding a potential link between vaccines and autism. The Prosecutor’s Office in Palermo has placed the parents under investigation for manslaughter by omission. Concurrently, the Juvenile Prosecutor’s Office is conducting a civil investigation into parental responsibility regarding the couple’s other four unvaccinated children, who have since been immunized. Medical officials reported that a four-year-old cousin of the deceased also tested positive for the bacterium but remains in stable condition after receiving vaccine doses. The incident has prompted a 10% increase in diphtheria vaccination requests to local pediatricians. An autopsy is scheduled for August 26 at the Palermo Policlinico to determine the exact cause of death and evaluate whether vaccination could have prevented the outcome. Prosecutors are also examining the vaccination status of neighbors to assess the risk of a broader outbreak. Medical experts, including Professor Giovanni Corsello, have emphasized the urgent need to increase pediatric vaccination coverage in Sicily to combat the current micro-outbreak. Public health data underscores these concerns; Ministry of Health figures from 2024 indicate that the hexavalent vaccination rate for children born in 2022 in Sicily was 85.13%, which is significantly lower than the Italian national average of 94.5%.

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