Food poisoning

We are notified by Public Health England of food poisoning cases, suspected food poisoning and infectious disease within our Borough. We investigate these to try and establish the possible cause of illness and prevent them spreading.

Different food poisoning bacteria have variable symptoms, including:

• Diarrhoea
• Vomiting
• Fever
• Nausea
• Headache
• Dizziness
• Stomach cramps

As there are so many different types of food poisoning bacteria, if you believe you are suffering from food poisoning it is important to visit your doctor and submit a stool specimen. This will help determine whether you have got food poisoning and whether it can be linked to a food that you have eaten.

It is important to recognise that your illness may be viral rather than food poisoning. Viruses cause symptoms similar to food poisoning and also spread very quickly.

More information can be found on The Food Standards Agency and Public Health England

Reporting a major food poisoning out-of-hours