M. was only four years old when he ate the piece of cheese because of which he is still in a vegetative state today: it was June 5, 2017, in Trentino. The product was contaminated with Escherichia Coli bacteria. The infection quickly became evident, but at the hospital the doctor in charge of caring for the little boy refused to examine him, which worsened the situation and delayed the diagnosis of Seu's disease (hemolytic and uremic). In December, the former president of the social dairy, Lorenzo Biasi, and the cheese maker Gianluca Fornasari, accused of causing very serious injuries, were convicted by the justice of the peace and paid a fine of 2,478 euros. The pediatrician, on the other hand, was postponed by the judge of the preliminary hearing, Enrico Borrelli: the trial in which she will have to answer – defended by lawyer Monica Baggia – for the accusation of injuries and refusal of official documents will see the first hearing on April 24.
More than a million in compensation
Following the first symptoms, the child was transported to Cles hospital, where he was placed under observation for a few hours. However, doctors considered the situation particularly serious, so much so that he was transferred to Santa Chiara Hospital. There, he should have received a visit from a pediatrician appointed by a colleague to take care of the little one. But the doctor refused. This is why the child's family, a civil party to the trial and represented by lawyers Paolo Chiariello and Monica Cappello, is seeking compensation of more than a million euros for him, and several hundred thousand euros for the father, to compensate for the loss of relationship with his son. Important figures which obviously cannot remedy the situation, but symbolic of the seriousness of the circumstances which must not be repeated. “No other child will have to suffer like him,” said the father, Gian Battista Maestri, quoted by the Trentino edition of Corriere della Sera.
Seu's disease
Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), “also known as HUS disease,” is a rare acute disease, but represents the most important cause of acute kidney injury in children. In its typical form, Seu is the most serious complication of an intestinal bacterial infection, supported by strains of Escherichia Coli producing a potent toxin called Shiga toxin. The infection is mainly transmitted through food but can also be contracted following close contact with infected ruminants or a contaminated environment. The patients most affected by typical HUS are children under 5 years old. The disease involves the rapid and sudden formation of small blood clots throughout the body which in turn block small blood vessels, with particularly serious effects on various organs, including the brain and kidneys.
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