Tokat schools shut for a day as water contamination worries spark mass illness

In response to a sudden wave of gastrointestinal symptoms that began on Oct. 9, the Tokat Governor’s Office mandated the closure of every school and education facility in the city on Oct. 12 for comprehensive disinfection. The outbreak prompted 2,914 people, many of them children, to visit medical facilities, with six of the 18 hospitalized children already discharged and the rest reported to be in stable condition. Drinking-water samples collected throughout Tokat have been dispatched to the Ankara Public Health Reference Laboratory, with results expected within three days.

Authorities have advised residents to rely on bottled water for drinking and cooking, while tap water may be used for other purposes provided it is not ingested. The Tokat Municipality’s Water and Sewerage Directorate stated that its technical assessment found no sewage contamination of the drinking-water system and cautioned the public against unverified rumors. Updates will be shared as the investigation proceeds.