President Mohamed Morsy made a surprise visit on Tuesday to the Health Insurance Hospital, where a number of students from Al-Azhar University were hospitalized due to food poisoning on Monday.
Prime Minister Hesham Qandil stated he had been following the incidents developments with Al-Azhar Grand Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayyeb and Minister of Health Mohamed Mostafa Hamed.
Hamed said that the total number of stricken students was 583 as of Tuesday, but said that only 51 of them were still in hospitals.
He added that the illnesses may have been caused by a Staph bacteria.
Meanwhile, Al-Azhar University President Osama al-Abd had suspended the hostel’s director and his nutrition officer, pending the results of investigations.
The Ministry of Health had said earlier Tuesday that 497 Al-Azhar University students have come down with food poisoning after eating meals at the student hostel in Nasr City, adding that no deaths have been reported.
Khaled al-Khatib, the ministry’s director for emergency care, told state agency MENA that samples taken from 152 students hospitalized at the Demerdash Toxicology Center in Cairo have turned up negative for toxicity, adding that the patients had originally suffered intestinal catarrhs but have now stabilized.
Earlier reports had stated that 105 of the stricken students were taken to the Ain Shams University Institute of Toxicology.
The Public Prosecution has ordered an investigation into the illnesses, according to Al-Jazzera Mubasher Misr satellite channel, and Tayyeb has also reportedly ordered an investigation into the hostel’s nutrition officials.
MENA reported that several students from the university are continuing to stage protests near the student hostel in Nasr City, demanding that Osama al-Abd, the university’s president, resign and that Tayyeb intervene to improve services at the facility.
The agency also reported that a Ministry of Health delegation is scheduled to visit the hostel and inspect food safety measures.
