Infectious diseases - investigation
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 and
- Whether anybody else they ate with also experienced any
symptoms. We may request that person to provide a faecal
sample
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.
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.
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.
If you believe that you are suffering from food poisoning
(sickness and diarrhoea) please contact us using the details
above.