Egypt health officials say salmonella contaminated food behind latest Al-Azhar University outbreak
In a follow up to a report last month, Egyptian health officials are reporting that the most recent outbreak to strike Al-Azhar University in Cairo was due to salmonella-tainted food, according to a Ahram Online report Saturday.
Salmonella image/CDC
Egypt’s Health Minister Mohamed Hamed said in a press statement Friday, the final report on the incident revealed that salmonella contaminated the food was behind the second outbreak, which sickened some 180 students at the university dormitory on April 29.
In the beginning of April, another food borne outbreak at the university sickened nearly 500 students, resulting in protests and demonstrations and the dismissal of Al-Azhar University principal, Osama al-Abed.
Ten officials are currently standing trial on charges of culpability in the 1 April mass outbreak of food poisoning.
Salmonella is an organism, which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.
Children are especially susceptible because they frequently put their fingers into their mouths and because their immune systems are still developing.
In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.
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[…] Egypt health officials say salmonella contaminated food behind latest Al-Azhar …The Global Dispatch, on Sat, 18 May 2013 12:53:22 -0700Egypt's Health Minister Mohamed Hamed said in a press statement Friday, the final report on the incident revealed that salmonella contaminated the food was behind the second outbreak, which sickened some 180 students at the university dormitory on … […]