Nearly 500 Egyptian students sent to the hospital with food poisoning

Almost 500 college students in Cairo were sent to the hospital with food poisoning, a senior health official said on Tuesday.

The exact number of sickened students so far stands at 479, The Associated Press reports. Health minister Khaled el-Khateib said all the students had eaten at dormitories affiliated with Al-Azhar University on Monday, AP says. The cases were serious enough that Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi visited students at the hospital, AP says.

Food poisoning on Egypt’s campuses is fairly commonplace, AP says.

But students rallied in protest over this latest instance. Dozens demonstrated Monday outside dormitories, blocking roads and railing against the school’s executive staff, AP says. And more protests were planned for Tuesday, AP says.