Food poisoning

Food poisoning is a common illness and about 100,000 people a year develop it. This number represents those people who went to their doctor. The actual number is probably about 10 times this amount (i.e. a million people a year).

Food poisoning is preventable

There are a number of things (agents) that can cause the symptoms of food poisoning. They include bacteria, viruses, moulds, protozoa, chemical contamination, and allergic reactions to food.

Common symptoms of food poisoning include vomiting, diahorrea, nausea, fever and malaise.

If you think you are suffering from food poisoning you must contact your doctor. They will be able to arrange for you to submit a faeces sample. This is important because it allows us to identify the particular agent that is responsible for your illness. This helps to identify where you may have got the agent from.

If you have submitted a faeces sample, the laboratory will automatically notify the Food Safety Team if you are suffering from food poisoning. You will be sent a questionnaire about your illness which you should complete fully and return to us as soon as possible. This is to assess whether you picked the agent up at a food premises or whether your illness is part of a wider outbreak. The questionnaire will ask you the following questions:

what symptoms you have;
when the symptoms started and when they stopped;
what foods you have eaten over the last few days;
where you have eaten;
whether you have travelled anywhere recently;
what you occupation is;
whether other members of the family have been ill.

If there is evidence to suggest that you may have developed food poisoning after eating at a food premises, the Food Safety Team will investigate this. If the premises is responsible for a food poisoning outbreak (where lots of people have been ill at the same time) then we may take formal legal action against the premises.

Causes of food poisoning

The main causes of food poisoning and food borne illness are:

preparing foods too far in advance;
not cooking foods properly;
not re-heating foods properly;
not defrosting foods correctly;
storing foods incorrectly (ie too warm) so that bacteria can grow quickly;
cross contamination of foods after cooking;
infection from people handling foods due to poor hygiene.

Who is at risk?

We all are, but babies, young children and the elderly can very quickly become ill when infected. Pregnant women, people who already have a pre-existing illness, and anyone whose immune system is weakened can also be seriously affected by food borne illness.

What are the main symptoms of food-borne illness/food poisoning?

diarrhoea;
stomach cramps;
vomiting;
fever;
nausea;
headache;
dizziness.

What to do if you have symptoms of food borne illness

Food borne illness can spread quickly, partly because everyone in the family could have eaten the same food and partly because the bacteria may be picked up by close family contact (eg nursing the sick).

Viruses can also cause illness, similar to food poisoning and they too spread very quickly.

If you suspect you are suffering food poisoning it is recommended that you visit your doctor as soon as possible, who might ask you to submit a sample for examination. Samples are useful in that they might be able to show which food-borne illness you are suffering from, or could rule out a food-poisoning organism. Viruses can also be detected. Consult your doctor immediately if the person affected is a baby, elderly or has an existing illness or condition or if symptoms are prolonged or severe (eg bloody diarrhoea).

If you or a member of your family are suffering from the symptoms of food poisoning, it is recommended that you follow the advice below to try and prevent the spread of the illness:

wash your hands after contact with the sick person, and before handling food.
do not use the same towel or face cloth as someone who is suffering with food borne illness.
clear up soiling accidents straightaway, wash with hot soapy water and disinfect with a disinfectant or bleach.
disinfect door and toilet handles, taps and the toilet seat after use and disinfect the toilet bowl frequently.
drink plenty of fluids while you are ill to prevent dehydration

Many people catch food poisoning at home. Further information is available from the Foodlink website. on how to prevent food poisoning at home.