On Friday, a case of mass food poisoning among students and teachers occurred at a private school in Bishkek called “Seitek STEM“. According to the Center for State Sanitary and Epidemiological Surveillance, a total of 84 people were injured, four of whom were teachers, the Kyrgyz news agency KABAR reported.
On Friday and over the weekend, 79 people turned to the Republican Clinical Infectious Diseases Hospital for medical care, and they were tested. Five people sought help at private medical centers.
At the moment, 10 children and two adults remain hospitalized, while the rest were provided with outpatient care. The preliminary diagnosis is bacteriological poisoning. The sanitary-epidemiological inspection found that the cause was the consumption of doner kebabs served for lunch on October 31 in the school cafeteria. The first symptoms were nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pain and weakness, which appeared among the students a few hours after eating the food.
After receiving the information, specialists from the State Epidemiological Supervision conducted a sanitary-epidemiological examination of the cafeteria and kitchen. Samples of products and equipment were collected, and the employees who prepared the food were also examined. Compliance with sanitary standards and product storage conditions was checked.
The school management was issued sanitary recommendations to eliminate the identified violations and conduct general disinfection.
Administrative protocols were drawn up against the director and he was fined a total of 28 thousand soms (approx. 540 leva)
The school cafeteria's activities have been temporarily suspended until the results of the laboratory tests are received.
The investigation is currently ongoing. After receiving the final results of the laboratory analyses, an assessment of the situation will be presented and appropriate measures will be taken within the framework of current legislation.