Police examine girl’s loss of life as 117 different fall ailing after consuming at pizza restaurant
After dining at a Pombal pizzeria linked to severe hygiene breaches, a 44-year-old woman tragically died and 117 others suffered food poisoning symptoms, sparking a police probe
Rayssa Maritein Bezerra e Silva(Image: Jam Press)
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 (March 15).
After returning home, they began to feel unwell and went to hospital, where they were treated and discharged. However, Rayssa returned on Monday (March 16) morning with diarrhoea, vomiting and abdominal pain.
“Her condition deteriorated rapidly,” said the Hospital Regional de Pombal, in Brazil’s Paraiba 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 (March 17) 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 Creatorzine.
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 (March 18), as her family called for justice. In the UK, foodborne disease remains a significant public health concern, with an estimated 2.4 million cases of food poisoning occurring each year.
While the vast majority of these cases are mild, approximately 180 deaths are attributed to foodborne illness annually, underscoring the potentially severe consequences of certain pathogens. The Food Standards Agency highlights that, although fatalities represent a small proportion of overall cases, the impact on vulnerable groups and the healthcare system is considerable.
Over 98% of foodborne deaths in the UK are caused by just five pathogens. Norovirus is the most common cause of foodborne illness, responsible for an estimated 56 deaths each year.
Salmonella accounts for around 33 deaths annually, and recent figures show infections have reached a decade high in 2024. Listeria monocytogenes, while rare with only around 162 cases per year, has the highest mortality rate at nearly 13%, and has been linked to outbreaks in NHS hospitals associated with chilled, ready-to-eat desserts.
Clostridium perfringens and Campylobacter are estimated to cause 25 and 21 deaths per year respectively, with Campylobacter cases rising by 17.1% between 2023 and 2024, reaching their highest level in ten years. Demographic trends indicate that most foodborne deaths occur in individuals aged 75 years and older, reflecting the increased vulnerability of older adults.
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