Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — An outbreak of a typhoid epidemic affecting over 600 students of Bahr Dar University in north-western Ethiopia has forced the University to suspend classes since Monday, according to press reports.

The epidemic, believed to have been caused by contaminated food and water, surfaced in the middle of last week, with close to 150 students bed-ridden at the University's clinic by the weekend, the Amahric language daily, Addis Zemen, reported Wednesday.

With the clinic handling five times more patients than it can accommodate, University authorities sought help from Bahr Dar's Felege-Heywot Hospital, where most of the patients are now being treated.

The epidemic has not only wreaked havoc on the University but also on Bahr Dar's Hospital, which was reported to have laid beds on corridors to accommodate the influx of sick students.

Felege-Heywot hospital Medical Director, Firrew Kebede, said he suspected poor food, water, and sanitation at the University might have caused the typhoid epidemic, based on the initial indications of the symptoms of those afflicted.

A medical team has been looking into possible clues within the University's catering facilities.