Italian Parents Investigated for Manslaughter After Unvaccinated Daughter Dies of Diphtheria

Palermo prosecutors in Sicily are investigating a couple for involuntary manslaughter by omission in the death of their four-year-old daughter from diphtheria. The child had not been vaccinated against the disease, which is mandatory by law in Italy.

According to investigators, the parents' decision not to vaccinate their daughter, nor her three siblings, stemmed from a belief that a vaccine had caused autism in a family member. This belief led to the omission of the required diphtheria vaccine for the deceased child.

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the omission of the vaccine against diphtheria, mandatory by law in the country, caused the death of the minor.

Following the girl's death, health authorities administered the initial three doses of the vaccination schedule to her surviving siblings. A cousin of the deceased child recently tested positive for diphtheria but is reportedly in stable condition and recovering in isolation at the Cívico Hospital in Palermo. This cousin had received the first three doses of the vaccine.

The Palermo Juvenile Prosecutor's Office has launched a broader investigation into the evasion of mandatory vaccinations in the Zona Expansione Nord (ZEN) neighborhood. They have also ordered an urgent inspection of local nurseries and primary schools to identify any unvaccinated children attending classes. The Italian Ministry of Health has reiterated that there is no scientific evidence linking vaccines to autism.

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is outside of danger and is evolving favorably in isolation