For any further information contact the Food & Workplace
Safety
Team.
We investigate notifications of infectious diseases (particularly
food poisoning) from GPs, the public, businesses and other local
authorities.
Once a food poisoning notification is received, we will contact the
person with the symptoms and ask them questions regarding:
- what and where they've eaten prior to their illness
- details of their symptoms
- whether they've been on holiday abroad
- whether or not their GP has taken a faecal sample
- whether anybody else they ate with also experienced any
symptoms. We may request that person to provide a faecal
sample.
When dealing with gastro-intestinal infections it is important
that we prevent spread from person to person. There are
certain occupations where the risk of this occurring is greater or
the consequences of it happening are more serious. The age of
the case is also considered a risk factor. The following
groups are nationally recognised as high risk groups:
Group A: Any person of doubtful personal
hygiene or with unsatisfactory toilet, hand washing or hand drying
facilities at home, work or school.
Group B: Children who attend pre-school
groups or nursery.
Group C: People whose work involves
preparing or serving unwrapped foods not subjected to further
heating.
Group D: Health and social care staff
If a person with symptoms is a food handler or health care/nursery
worker who has direct contact or contact through serving food, with
highly susceptible patients or persons in whom an intestinal
infection would have serious consequences, they cannot return to
work until they are symptom-free for 48 hours. In some cases longer
term exclusion may be necessary. They must also inform their
employer of their symptoms.
Parents or guardians of children aged under five years or
children or adults unable to implement good standards of personal
hygiene, are advised to keep them away from school or other
establishments until they have also been symptom-free for 48
hours.
If you fall into one of the aboev high risk groups, it is important
to ask advice from your Environmental Health Department about
special precautions.
Food poisoning outbreaks
If a number of people ate at the same venue and have the same food
poisoning-type symptoms, this may be due to a food poisoning
outbreak. Our investigation into the outbreak will involve:
- interviewing people who are ill
- interviewing others who ate at the venue but didn't have
symptoms
- taking faecal and food samples (if appropriate)
- inspecting the implicated venue.
If there is enough evidence implicating a food premises within
the area as a possible source of the outbreak, we may decide to
carry out a food hygiene inspection (see for action we can take
following a food inspection).
If you believe that you are suffering from food poisoning (ie
sickness and diarrhoea), please contact us using the details
above.
Relevant legislation
- Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984
- Public Health (Infectious Diseases) Regulations 1988
- Food Safety Act 1990 (as amended)