Kazakhstan's Health Minister Akmaral Alnazarova addressed the mass food poisoning of young Kazakh athletes in Tashkent at a government briefing, infohub.kz reports.
According to the minister, her ministry's staff and Kazakh doctors are in constant contact with their counterparts in Uzbekistan. "The children are being monitored online. The treatment they are receiving is consistent with our protocols as well. The children's condition is stable," an NUR.KZ correspondent quoted Alnazarova as saying.
The minister noted that, if necessary, the young athletes are ready to be transferred to clinics in Shymkent and Turkestan Region. "But their condition is stable — this is food poisoning. Our colleagues in Uzbekistan are conducting additional tests. Once they provide us with further information, we will report it. There is currently no threat to the children's lives or health," she assured.
On November 2, the Karaganda Region Department of Physical Culture and Sports said the region was represented in the tournament by private football schools in three age categories. At that time, 16 children, one coach and 11 parents were known to have been hospitalized. They had all been staying and eating at a hotel in Tashkent.
Later, Kazakhstan's Ministry of Health provided an update on the condition of the young footballers from Karaganda who were hospitalized in Tashkent after breakfast at the hotel. Kazakhstan's embassy in Uzbekistan also issued a statement following the mass poisoning of the children.