The number of cases of food poisoning reported in the UK continues to rise. In 1999 there were approximately 100,000 reported cases of people suffering from food poisoning - a 600% increase on numbers reported 15 years ago. If unreported cases were taken into consideration, the true number could be closer to 1 million. It is estimated that 23 million working days are lost each year due to food poisoning.
Food poisoning is an acute illness, usually of sudden onset, caused by eating contaminated food or water. Food poisoning is mainly caused by bacteria or their toxins and viruses.
Symptoms normally include one or more of the following:
- Abdominal pain and/or stomach cramps
- Diarrhoea
- Vomiting
- Nausea
- Fever
Symptoms can start betweeneight hours and several weeks after consuming contaminated food and may persist for a matter of hours to a number of weeks.
You should report to your GP who will advise treatment. Your GP may ask you to provide a faecal sample which will be sent for analysis to determine if you are suffering from food poisoning . Your GP will notify the local Environmental Health Department who will then contact you to try to determine the source of the food poisoning and to offer you advice.
If you work with the elderly, young children, in a hospital type environment or in the food industry, you should inform your manager immediately if you experience food poisoning type symptoms.
The Department of Health advises that you are fit to return to work if you have been free from symptoms for 48 hours. Good personal hygiene practices must be observed.
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