Children in mass poisoning fully recovered, three still under medical care (video)

Earlier, it was reported that children attending kindergartens in the Piskent, Buka, Okkorgon, and Kuyi Chirchik districts of the Tashkent region suffered mass poisoning, which led to the initiation of criminal proceedings against several officials of private outsourcing companies providing services to these institutions. Most of the affected children have now fully recovered and been discharged home. This was announced by Nurmat Otabekov, First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Sanitary-Epidemiological Welfare and Public Health.

According to him, as of 14:00 on September 30, only three children remain in the hospital. While they have fully recovered from the poisoning, pre-existing illnesses were detected during the course of treatment. For this reason, the children remain under additional medical supervision.

’’The condition of these children is also stable, and they will be discharged home in the coming days. Medical procedures have been fully completed, and hospitals have returned to their normal operating routine,’’ he said.

Otabekov also noted that to prevent similar incidents from recurring, the Sanitary-Epidemiological Committee intends to strengthen oversight of catering services in all educational institutions.

According to the Ministry of Preschool and School Education, all children have now recovered and returned to their families.

’’All our children have recovered, and it has been fully confirmed that there is no threat to their health. The treatment process was effectively organized under the supervision of doctors, and the children have returned to their families,’’ the ministry’s statement read.

The ministry noted that starting from October 2, all preschool education institutions will resume operating under their regular schedule.

’’In accordance with the current legislation, catering services in some preschools are organized through outsourcing by private companies. The contracts strictly require compliance with sanitary standards and regulations.

At the same time, the ministry fully acknowledges its responsibility and will further strengthen monitoring mechanisms,’’ the statement emphasized.

The Ministry of Preschool and School Education added that, in cooperation with law enforcement agencies and the Ministry of Health, the circumstances of the incident are being thoroughly investigated. If shortcomings are identified, relevant contracts will be reviewed or terminated.

’’The ministry appeals to all organizations providing catering services for our children: the health of our children is the highest responsibility. Neglect of sanitary requirements or attempts to cut costs at the expense of food quality will not be tolerated. Oversight of outsourcing services in the regions will be further intensified.

A public commission consisting of parents, experts, and journalists will also be involved in this process, and their conclusions will be regularly communicated to the public,’’ the statement said.

It is worth noting that earlier, criminal proceedings were initiated under Article 257-1, part 1 of the Criminal Code (violation of sanitary legislation or anti-epidemic rules) against several officials of private companies providing outsourcing services following the incident. To ensure that the investigation is carried out thoroughly, completely, and effectively, the case was placed under the supervision of the Prosecutor General’s Office, and a special working group was established under the leadership of First Deputy Prosecutor General Bahriddin Valiev.

Earlier reports indicated that the health issues among the children may have been caused by low-quality dairy products. It was established that the 3.2% kefir delivered to preschool institutions had been produced in one of the workshops in the Oqqorgon district.

As of 12:00 on September 29, the number of children receiving treatment in hospitals across the Tashkent region stood at 38. Their condition was stable, the illness was progressing in a mild form, and no severe or complicated cases had been recorded.