Infectious Diseases and Food Poisoning

We investigate notifications of infectious diseases (particularly food poisoning) from GPs, the public, businesses and other local authorities.

We investigate various food and water borne illnesses in order to:

• Identify the source of the infection.
• Prevent the infection from being spread.

We do this by:

• Asking the people involved about any food and water consumed and places visited, e.g. swimming pools, farms, holidays, etc;
• Stopping people from going to work or school if they pose a risk of spreading the illness to others;
• Examining premises that may be a possible source of the infection.  We look at their hygiene standards, practices, evidence of staff illness, etc. and take appropriate action to prevent other people becoming ill;
• Taking samples of food and water to check for contamination.  Samples may be taken from individuals to identify the bug responsible for the illness; and by
• Giving advice to people and businesses to prevent further spread of the illness.

Examples of food and water borne illnesses investigated by the Food & Safety Team include:

• Salmonella;
• Campylobacter;
• E. coli O157;
• Norwalk virus;
• Scromboid poisoning;
• Legionella;
• Cryptosporidium;
• Amoebic dysentery;
• Typhoid / paratyphoid;
• Suspected food poisoning.

More information