Number of suspected poisoning cases rises to 379 in northern Egypt

The number of hospitalized cases of suspected poisoning in Egypt's northern province of Sharqiya reached 379, said the Egyptian Health Ministry in a statement Friday.

A barge carrying 500 tons of phosphate recently capsized into the River Nile in Upper Egypt's Qena province, raising fears of polluting the river, which is the only source of drinking water in Egypt.

"The result of the medical tests of the samples taken from patients will take at least three days," Health Minister Adel al-Adawi said, noting that it is still too early to determine the cause.

The minister, who headed to Sharqiya to check on the patients, noted that 192 of the 379 cases were discharged from hospitals following treatment.

Though the southern province and the province of Sharqiya in the north are over 500 km apart, fears that the suspected poisoning cases are linked to the polluted river still running high.

"The ministry will not rely on the tests made by the national Drinking Water and Sanitation Company although the company asserted that the rates of chlorine and turbidity in drinking water were valid," said the health minister, stressing that the ministry is doing thorough tests to find out the reason.

In April 2013, some 660 students of Islamic Al-Azhar University in Cairo who lived in the dormitory were hospitalized after two incidents of mass food poisoning. Endit