Almaty, 15 October. From 12 to 15 October 55 pupils of the Republican Physics and Mathematics School (RFMSh) were admitted to the Almaty Children's City Clinical Infectious Diseases Hospital with signs of acute intestinal infection, the city public health department reported.
According to the department, the condition of the hospitalised children is stable with no deterioration; there are no cases requiring intensive care. The day before, 48 hospitalisations had been reported.
The operation of the school, the boarding house and the canteen was temporarily suspended and pupils were moved to remote learning. The cause is being established: samples of food and water and surface swabs were taken for laboratory testing, and canteen staff are being checked. During the inspection of the canteen, sanitary doctors found violations of food storage and catering conditions.
Almaty police opened a criminal case over the mass poisoning; the circumstances are being clarified with account of the sanitary and epidemiological service's inspection results. The Ministry of Education instructed the RFMSh management to strengthen control over catering, and a special group including representatives of the ministry and other agencies is working at the school.
