Food poisoning is caused by the ingestion of food contaminated with bacteria or a virus. Symptoms can appear from as quickly as 1-2 hours after eating or up to 1-2 days. In some cases, symptoms can show a week later. The most common cause is campylobacter but salmonella, E. coli, norovirus and listeria are also frequent offenders.
The symptoms of food poisoning are:
- nausea and/or vomiting
- diarrhoea
- cramps and abdominal pain
- fatigue
- loss of appetite
- a fever of above 38C
- aching muscle
Food poisoning is not serious and can be treated at home. Symptoms usually last from a few days to a week.
It is important to take time to rest and keep hydrated by sipping on water throughout the day. In cases where there has been excessive vomiting and diarrhoea, oral rehydration solutions (ORS) can be used to rebalance lost electrolytes. You can purchase this from PPRX here.
Alcohol, caffeine, as well as spicy high fat foods will likely cause you to feel worse so if you do have an appetite stick to bland foods such as toast and rice. The BRAT diet is highly recommended anyone experiencing vomiting, diarrhoea and nausea. BRAT is the acronym for Banana, Rice, Applesauce and Toast.
The NHS advises avoiding the following when practising food safety:
- not cooked or reheated thoroughly
- not stored correctly – for example, it’s not been frozen or chilled
- left out for too long
- handled by someone who’s ill or hasn’t washed their hands
- eaten after its ‘use by’ date
- not reheating cooked food well enough
NHS link here.
When to contact your GP for Food Poisoning
In the following cases, food poisoning can be serious for certain individuals and it is therefore best to speak to your GP:
- those with a weak immune system
- have severe symptoms
- are pregnant
- don’t start to see improvements to your symptoms after a few days
- are unable to keep down any fluids because you’re vomiting repeatedly
- have symptoms of severe dehydration, like confusion, a rapid heartbeat, sunken eyes and passing little or no urine
- are over 60
- think your baby or young child has food poisoning
- have a long-term underlying condition, like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), diabetes or kidney disease
You can contact PPRX pharmacists at anytime for more information here.
