At least 186 people were hospitalized in Shahrikhan district of Andijan on Monday after an outbreak of food poisoning, the Emergency Situations Ministry said in a statement.
The provincial health department denied reports of deaths following the incident. In the morning of May 15, a total of 186 people complaining of persistent diarrhea, vomiting, fever, weakness ended up in hospitals.
The condition of 5 people who had reportedly been admitted to emergency care has since then improved and they were transferred to general ward. The other 81 people with satisfactory condition have been sent home.
All patients are reported to have eaten ice cream in a downtown café in Shahrikhan the day before. The café is said to have violated hygiene rules when preparing ice cream, in fact they had no license to sell ice cream.
The outbreak prompted an investigation launched by the chief sanitary doctor of Uzbekistan, Deputy Minister of Health and other officials who headed to Shakhrikhan. All ice cream vendors in the city are currently being inspected.
