School meals suspended after Egyptian students treated for food poisoning

Egypt’s Education Ministry has halted the provision of meals to students at schools nationwide until the cause has been determined after the food poisoning of around 400 students in state-run schools in several governorates.

Earlier, Education Minister Tarek Shawki told state TV on Wedensday evening.

Ministry of Health said in a statement that 312 students were hospitalized in the governorates of Cairo, Suez and Aswan.

The minister said the Cabinet is meeting on Thursday to discuss the issue.

Al-Ahram Arabic said the provincial governor of Aswan ordered earlier today a halt to the distribution of meals at all schools in the governorate.

State news agency MENA reported that 24 students were sent to hospital after suffering stomach aches, vomiting and fever in the Nile Delta governorate of Menoufiya, while 48 students in the Upper Egyptian governorate of Beni Suef were hospitalised with similar symptoms.

Wednesday’s incidents are the lastest in a series of cases of suspected large-scale food poisoning to hit state-run schools in several parts of the country this month.

More than 3,300 students became ill and experienced similar symptoms last week after consuming school meals, according to information released by the Egyptian Cabinet.

The incidents prompted President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to set up an impromptu committee to determine the cause.

In place for decades, Egypt’s National School Feeding Programme (NSFP) covers 13.5 million students and costs the government 957 million Egyptian pounds, according to the World Food Programme, which has been supporting the scheme since 1968.

Last year, the government launched a plan to scale up the programme to reach all government-run schools.

Source: Ahram online