A 44-year-old woman has died and another 117 people fell ill after eating at a pizzeria.
Rayssa Maritein Bezerra e Silva and her boyfriend had a “carne de sol” sun-dried beef pizza at the eatery on Sunday (15 Mar).
After returning home, they began to feel unwell and went to hospital, where they were treated and discharged.
READ MORE: Trap artist, 24, ‘broke girlfriend’s nose’ after finding Instagram on her phone
However, Rayssa returned on Monday (16 Mar) morning with diarrhoea, vomiting and abdominal pain.
“Her condition deteriorated rapidly,” said the Hospital Regional de Pombal, in Brazil’s Paraíba state.
“She was promptly attended to by the medical team and transferred to the Intensive Care Unit in critical condition, showing signs consistent with a severe infection.”
She died in hospital on Tuesday (17 Mar) morning.
It later emerged that another 117 people sought medical attention in Pombal after eating at the same pizzeria on Sunday.
Their symptoms included nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhoea and general malaise – all consistent with food poisoning.
Local health officials have since shut down the pizzeria, as reported by Need To Know.
An inspection reportedly uncovered insects, improperly stored food and other irregularities.
Two people remain in hospital – an eight-year-old child and a woman.
Lab tests on ingredients from the pizzeria, as well as on Rayssa’s body, will be carried out as part of the police investigation.
Rayssa, an agronomist, worked for the local council’s environment department.
She had been with her boyfriend for about a year.
“She was a cheerful, down-to-earth and warm person,” said her cousin Izabele Freitas. “She was fun to be around.”
She was laid to rest in Pombal today (18 Mar), as her family called for justice.
READ MORE: Influencer found dead in suitcase ‘was possibly buried alive’
Sad, this happens all the time. You cannot always have high hygienic quality everywhere. It’s a gambel all the time. If you eat something it’s always a little dirty because there are so many humans involved into the trafficking process and many are really mistreated but not near as worse than cattle.