In the village of Beyneu, Mangystau Region, on the first day of the new term, 11 schoolchildren were taken ill with mass food poisoning. Pupils of primary classes were admitted to the accident and emergency department of the district hospital with nausea, vomiting and weakness.
They were given medical assistance and sent home - the children are now receiving outpatient treatment, reports Channel One 'Eurasia'.
Meanwhile, the regional health department reported that the children have a digestive disorder.
The sanitary and epidemiological control department said it plans to take food samples from the school for laboratory testing. The results will be known in three days.
It will be recalled that in September last year, in the Beshshoky residential area of the village of Mangystau, Munaily District, Mangystau Region, 462 junior schoolchildren were poisoned en masse after lunch in the canteen. At the time, the Minister of Education, Gani Beisembayev, ordered inspections to be carried out in all schools across the country.
It was also revealed that the school canteen was run by Individual Entrepreneur 'Shakenova D'. It was reported that the company's annual revenue is estimated at 2.5 billion tenge. Most contracts with the company were concluded via single-source procurement.
Later, intestinal bacteria were found in 20% of swab and smear samples taken from the school canteen. Staphylococcus was detected in six canteen employees. Furthermore, a dishwasher and a food server were found to be carriers of dysentery.
In October, the Minister of Education, Gani Beisembayev, stated that following the incident, the head of the Mangystau Region Education Department resigned, and the deputy governor of the region received a reprimand. In addition, the school terminated its contract with the company providing the catering services.
In January this year, four employees of the aforementioned school canteen were convicted for working without undergoing medical examinations. The defendants admitted to purchasing forged medical certificates for 5,000 tenge.
In February, in the village of Kyzylsay, which is under the administration of the city of Zhanaozen, Mangystau Region, there was a mass poisoning of 100 pupils from one of the local kindergartens.