Boy Who Spent Nine Years in a Coma After Eating Raw-Milk Cheese Dies

Thirteen-year-old Mattia Mayestri, who fell seriously ill after eating cheese made from raw milk in Italy’s Trentino province, has died. RIA Novosti reported this.

In 2017, when Mattia was just four years old, he contracted a bacterial infection after eating cheese made from raw milk. As a result, he developed severe hemolytic uremic syndrome.

The boy subsequently entered a persistent vegetative state. For nearly nine years, he lived requiring artificial feeding and regular medical care.

According to reports, in 2025 Italy’s Supreme Court of Cassation upheld the convictions of the former head of the cheese-producing company and the cheesemaker. Mattia’s family was paid €1 million in compensation.

Following the tragedy, the boy’s father launched a public awareness campaign about the risks that raw milk and products made from it can pose, especially to children’s health.

Mattia’s death is now expected to lead to a review of the case. The issue of causing a person’s death through negligence may also receive a legal assessment.