Parents investigated over Palermo diphtheria death file complaint against three hospitals

Legal actions following fatal infection

The parents of four-year-old Anna Rosa Bartolotta, who died from diphtheria in Palermo, have filed a criminal complaint against three local hospitals that treated their daughter between 13 and 19 August. The legal action, submitted through attorney Luigi Marrandino of the Napoli Nord bar, targets Cervello, Civico, and Ospedale dei Bambini. Both parents, Emanuele Bartolotta and Manuela Maggio, are themselves under investigation by the Palermo Prosecutor's Office for involuntary manslaughter by omission. Investigators opened the case after the couple chose not to vaccinate their child, reportedly attributing another relative's autism to immunization. The family appointed forensic medicine and prevention specialist Maurizio Municinò as their party consultant for the upcoming proceedings.

Hospital visits and medical disputes

Anna Rosa first presented to emergency care on 13 August with symptoms including fever, vomiting, and loss of appetite, but medical staff discharged her with a diagnosis of suspected tonsillitis. Her condition deteriorated rapidly over the following forty-eight hours, leading to her emergency admission to Cervello hospital on 15 August in critical condition. She was subsequently transferred to the intensive care unit at Ospedale dei Bambini, where doctors intubated her. The parents argue in their complaint that invasive surgical procedures worsened the child's health and contributed to her death during the night of 20 August. The Istituto Superiore di Sanità confirmed on 24 August that clinical samples taken by Arnas Civico tested positive for Corynebacterium diphtheriae and the respiratory toxin gene.

Autopsy and judicial proceedings

The complaint arrived ahead of the formal appointment for the child's autopsy, scheduled for 26 August at the Institute of Forensic Medicine at Policlinico di Palermo. Chief Prosecutor Maurizio de Lucia and Deputy Prosecutor Laura Vaccaro must decide whether to place hospital physicians under formal investigation as an administrative safeguard before the autopsy proceeds. Medical examiner Giuseppe Albano was tasked with conducting the post-mortem examination on the four-year-old. Including treating medical personnel among the formal suspects allows them to participate in the examination, an unrepeatable evidentiary act under Italian procedure. Prosecutors have already ordered the seizure of all medical records from the three facilities to assess whether clinical errors occurred during the girl's care.

Public health response in Sicily

Health authorities in Palermo initiated contact tracing, vaccination checks, and prophylactic treatments on 17 August to prevent further spread of the pathogen. Anna Rosa's hospitalized cousin remains under observation in stable condition. Following the child's death, vaccination centers across Sicily, particularly in Palermo's Pallavicino district, recorded an increase in families seeking immunizations. Regional Health Councillor Marcello Caruso addressed the public response and ongoing screening operations across the area.

We are facing an established case, but the responsible bodies have not spoken of an epidemiological emergency yet. We are awaiting the data being gathered through screening by the Palermo health authority to understand the exact reality of the contagion. To date, we do not see a situation significant enough to speak of an emergency. It is data that must be approached with the utmost caution.