Bishkek, Nov. 3, 2025. /Kabar/. Eighty-four people, including four teachers were poisoned after eating shawarma at a private school in Bishkek, according to the Center for State Sanitary and Epidemiological Surveillance.
On October 31, a case of mass food poisoning among students and teachers occurred at the Seitek STEM private school in Bishkek.
The center reported that 79 people sought medical assistance at the Republican Clinical Infectious Diseases Hospital, where stool and gastric lavage samples were collected for laboratory testing. Five others were treated at private medical centers.
At present, 10 children and two adults remain hospitalized, while the rest received outpatient care. The preliminary diagnosis is bacterial food poisoning of unknown origin.
A sanitary and epidemiological investigation found that the outbreak was caused by shawarma served for lunch on October 31 in the school cafeteria. The first symptoms — vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and weakness — appeared several hours after the meal.
Authorities are continuing to identify the source of contamination and have taken samples from the school kitchen for further examination.