Infectious Disease Control
Infectious Disease Control
Food Poisoning
Food Poisoning Symptoms
What to do if you think you have food poisoning?
Our role
Common types of food poisoning
Preventing food poisoning
What Can I do to Prevent the Spread of Food Poisoning?
How Can I Prevent Food Poisoning?
-------------------------------------
Infectious Disease Control.
The Food Safety section is responsible along with Surrey and Sussex Health Protection Unit for infectious disease control within the Borough of Guildford. This role is carried out in close partnership with the Consultant in Communicable Disease Control (CCDC), who is employed by the Health Protection Agency.
As part of this role we are responsible for investigating and preventing the spread of outbreaks of food poisoning.
Food Poisoning.
Food poisoning is an unpleasant illness caused by the consumption of food or drink contaminated with:-
-
Bacteria.
-
Viruses.
-
Poisonous plants.
-
Chemicals/metals.
However, the most common cause of food poisoning is bacteria.
Food Poisoning Symptoms.:
The symptoms of food poisoning may vary but may include:-
-
Stomach Ache.
-
Diarrhoea.
-
Vomiting.
-
Fever.
-
Headache.
Following consumption of contaminated food, onset of symptoms may vary from a few hours to a number of days. It is important to realise that the cause of your symptoms may not always be from the last meal you ate.
What to do if you think you have food poisoning.?
For general medical advise or diagnosis of illness and treatment you should always see your doctor. If however, you suspect a particular food has caused your illness or would like advice or information on infection control (e.g. exclusion from work), you can contact this department.
If you work in a high-risk occupation you have a duty to inform your employer of your symptoms, i.e.
If you do contact our department regarding your illness, it would be helpful if you could keep the alleged food or drink item with any packaging or receipts and pass to us for further investigation.
Our role.:
Environmental Health Officers investigate food poisoning cases for a number of reasons:
-
To establish the type of food poisoning you are suffering from (this will usually be undertaken by the doctors, who will provide you with a faecal specimen kit to identify the type of food poisoning)
-
To establish the food that caused the illness
-
To investigate commercial premises if implicated in your illness
-
To prevent further spread by providing advice on general hygiene precautions in the home and information on exclusion for people who work with food, young children or the elderly.
Common types of food poisoning.:
www.foodlink.org.uk/factfile.asp?file=1
Preventing food poisoning.:
www.foodlink.org.uk/factfile_c.asp?file=1chapter=3
What Can I do to Prevent the Spread of Food Poisoning.?
If you experience symptoms of food poisoning it is particularly important to observe strict personal hygiene, not only to prevent the spread of infection to others, but also to avoid re-infection. The following points should be remembered:
-
Wash your hands on a regular basis with soap and hot water, particularly after using the toilet. A separate hand towel should be used for infected persons. Where the patient is a young child it may be necessary for a parent to supervise or assist in proper washing of hands.
-
Wipe WC seat, handle and door knobs at regular intervals with a disinfectant.
-
Whilst showing symptoms it is advisable that you do not prepare food for others. If this is not possible, good personal hygiene practices must be followed.
-
If you work in a high-risk occupation (see above for details), you MUST inform your employer of your symptoms.
How Can I Prevent Food Poisoning.?
To reduce the risk of food borne illness the Department recommend you follow the following tips see Your Guide to Eating Safely: