A bout of food poisoning thought to be linked to a Monday (June 12th) iftar meal has sickened hundreds of Iraqi civilians at two displacement camps outside Mosul, leaving many requiring urgent treatment.

There are more than 800 cases of food poisoning following a Monday night meal, the Erbil health department said in a statement late Tuesday.

The statement refuted earlier news about the death of two civilians, including one child.

International Organisation for Migration (IOM) spokesman Joel Millman said that 312 people had been hospitalised.

The food they ate was part of the iftar meal, and included rice, yogurt, chicken and soup that had been purchased from a restaurant in Erbil by a Qatar-based aid organisation, Millman said.

Iraqi health ministry spokesman Seif al-Badr said the exact source of the poisoning would be revealed after a more thorough investigation into the incident.

The outbreak occurred at Hassan Sham and al-Khazer displacement camps, two of the many dotting the region around Mosul, where Iraqi forces are battling the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS).

Medical teams respond

Al-Khazer camp manager Razgar Obeid told Diyaruna that camp management has been on maximum alert since Monday night to deal with the cases and provide medical care to all those who have fallen ill.

"As the first cases of poisoning appeared, we immediately informed Erbil health department about the incident," he said.

Ambulances, medical teams and medics from local organisations arrived at the camp right away, he added.

Those who fell ill displayed symptoms such as vomiting and severe diarrhea, Obeid said, while others fainted or experienced stomach pains.

The poisoning has been traced to the 2,000 ready-made meals served at the camps for iftar, consisting of rice, chicken, beans and bread, he said.

"Erbil governor Nawzad Hadi visited the camp and gave instructions for opening a formal investigation into the incident," Obeid said. "Seven people in charge of the preparation of the contaminated food have been arrested."

The camp management also has stopped ready-made food from being delivered to the camp by any organisation, he said.

It also has kicked off a campaign to clean bathrooms and other camp facilities, increased drinking water and washing rations, and raised the number of electricity supply hours, Obeid said.

The "situation is now under control", he added.