Official details of the incident at the private school «Mirás» in Astana have been revealed by the deputy head of the capital's sanitary-epidemiological control department. It transpired that exactly half of the pupils in the reception class fell ill — 8 out of 16 children.
OFFICIAL DATA
At a briefing at the Central Communications Service (CCS), the deputy head of Astana's sanitary-epidemiological control department, Mukhagali Aryspayev, reported the details of the incident.
According to him, on 30 January 2026, several pupils in the reception class of the elite school «Mirás» became unwell after lunch in the school canteen.
The ambulance service received 8 children aged 5–6 years. Six were diagnosed with an acute intestinal infection, and two with functional gastrointestinal disorders.
“The incident is linked to the lunch served to the children. The affected children are mainly aged 5–6, in the reception class. There are 16 children in the class, and the aforementioned diagnoses were identified in 8 of them,” said Aryspayev.
Thus, exactly half of the pupils in one class fell ill, indicating the mass nature of the incident.
CHILDREN'S CONDITION AND START OF INVESTIGATION
According to Mukhagali Aryspayev, the children are currently receiving treatment at home, and their condition is being monitored by medical specialists.
An unscheduled inspection has been launched at the «Mirás» school, including a sanitary-epidemiological one. Inspectors intend to examine food storage and preparation conditions, food quality, and compliance with sanitary standards in the school canteen kitchen.
It is also reported that the school received a sanitary-epidemiological permit back in 2007. The contractor running the canteen received a similar permit on 19 January 2026.
The results of the current inspection should answer the key question: was the mass poisoning caused by poor-quality food, or did the children fall ill for another reason.
“ELITE” SCHOOL
It is worth noting that the «Mirás» school in Astana is among the most expensive educational institutions in Kazakhstan. The school's official website lists the tuition fee, which for children aged 5-6 years (pre-school) is 4 million tenge per year, including the entry fee.
Unsurprisingly, a considerable discussion has erupted on social media around the incident at the “elite” school.
Some users express outrage at the mismatch between the school's status and the quality of the food. Many call the incident unacceptable for an educational institution of this level.
Others, however, urge people not to rush to blame the school and the canteen contractor. In their opinion, the cause of the illness might not have been a poor-quality lunch, but a viral infection.
In particular, users mention norovirus, which, they claim, is currently spreading actively in Astana.
Norovirus can indeed cause symptoms similar to food poisoning: nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and abdominal pain. The virus is easily transmitted in closed groups, especially among children.
The final answer to the question of the causes of the mass illness among the children should be provided by the sanitary-epidemiological investigation.
Recall that earlier the FBRK editorial team wrote about the activities of the canteen contractor company - «Noble foods» LLP. As it turned out, the company was registered only two months ago, on 5 December 2025.
Its registered address, right in the building of the Almaty «Mirás» school, suggests the company may have been created specifically to service this one institution.
Comments taken from Samat Iskakov's personal Facebook page.