Food Poisoning Affects 70 Students at Tehran Teacher Training University; University Denies Incident

Iranian media reported, citing emergency officials and publishing photos, that at least 70 students in the dormitory of Tehran Teacher Training University suffered from food poisoning; however, the university denied such an incident. On Saturday evening, November 19, the university issued a statement declaring that 'no cases of student poisoning' had been reported and that 'this news is entirely false.' Just hours earlier, various Iranian media outlets, including the newspapers Etemad and Shargh, reported on the poisoning of 70 students from this university, and two government officials confirmed the hospitalization of 36 students. Babak Yektapars, spokesperson for Iran's Emergency Organization, stated that the reason for sending 36 students to the hospital was 'food poisoning' and mentioned that the affected students were transferred to three hospitals: Firouzgar, Yas, and Shariati. Ali Mohammadi, the head of the Teacher Training University, also confirmed the hospitalization of the 36 student-teachers in an interview with ISNA but stated that it is unclear whether the cause of the incident was 'food poisoning or a health factor.' According to some media reports, including the Rokna website and student media, this incident occurred on Friday evening, and from the early hours of Saturday, students residing in the dormitory who had eaten 'tuna fish and mashed potatoes' began to experience food poisoning. Images of an ambulance transporting the poisoned students to the hospital have also been published. The news of student poisoning in Tehran comes less than ten days after the poisoning of students in Hamadan. On Sunday, November 12, more than ten students from Hamadan University of Technology were hospitalized due to food poisoning, and other students staged a protest by placing their university food trays on the ground. Additionally, recent reports have emerged regarding students at Alzahra University in Tehran criticizing the poor quality of the university's food. According to the Amir Kabir News Telegram channel, after the removal of food subsidies at Alzahra University, expired or insect-contaminated materials are being used in the preparation of student meals.