In the village of Koksaray in the Otyrar district of the Turkestan region, 118 residents are under medical supervision due to an outbreak of leishmaniasis.
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For reference: Leishmaniasis is an infectious disease caused by a parasitic protozoan.
According to Informburo.kz, those affected include both adults and children. Villagers believe the spread of the infection is linked to a sulphuric acid spill caused by a large uranium mining company located near Koksaray.
"At first the sore looks like a mosquito bite – small and red. Then pus appears. After that, the wound gets bigger and bigger and hurts. Then you feel like there's a worm inside," says a resident of the village, Moldir Zhailauabayeva.
In turn, ecologists have confirmed the acid spill over an area of 600 square metres.
"The department is developing a programme to eliminate the environmental damage. They also demanded a full clean-up and restoration of all the land," said the chief environmental inspector for the Turkestan region, Nurzhan Nurbolatuly.
For context, a video recently began circulating online showing what appear to be employees of Kazatomprom JSC disposing of waste - sulphuric acid - at the Zarechnoye JV JSC mine in the Otyrar district of the Turkestan region.The video's author claimed this was done in violation of environmental law. It was reported that the company has launched an internal investigation to examine all the circumstances.