Egypt reports more food poisoning cases

CAIRO - Egypt announced on Sunday suspicion of another 350 food poisoning cases in three governorates across the country, a health ministry official told Xinhua.

"There is suspicion of 38 food poisoning cases in North Sinai governorate, 309 in Ismailia governorate and 3 in Port Said governorate," Health Ministry's spokesman Yahya said.

The official told Xinhua that all the patients have been sent to nearby hospitals and 231 of them have been treated and discharged while 119 patients are still under treatment.

"The patients have been suffering diarrhea, colic, vomiting and slightly high temperatures," Moussa said, adding that the ministry raised degree of alert at the government hospitals in North Sinai, Ismailia, Port Said, Sharqiya and Suez.

The incident came one day after 25 students were "suspectedly" poisoned at the hostel of the Islamic-oriented Al-Azhar University, which has been hit twice by such incidents last month.

On April 1, over 500 students of Al-Azhar University fell ill after eating rotten chicken, while at least 179 others got sick after having lunch including bad tuna at the same university on April 29.  

The first incident on April 1 ended up with the sacking of Al- Azhar University's chief Osama al-Abd.