Food poisoning
Food poisoning can usually be treated at home without seeking medical advice. Most people will feel better within a few days.
It's important to avoid Dehydration by drinking plenty of water, even if you can only sip it,as you need to replace anyfluidslost through vomiting and diarrhoea .
You should also:
Contactyour GP if your symptoms are severe or don't start to improve in a few days.
If you have food poisoning, you shouldn't prepare food for other people and you should try to keep contact with vulnerable people, such as the elderly or very young, to a minimum.
Stay off work or school until at least 48 hours after the last episode of diarrhoea.
If someone you live with has food poisoning, youshould:
You dissolve them in water to drink and they help replace salt, glucose and other important minerals your body loses through dehydration.
If you have a kidney condition, some types of oral rehydration salts may not be suitable for you. Ask your pharmacist or GP for further advice about this.
If your symptoms are severe or persistent, or you are more vulnerable to serious infection (for example, because you are elderly or have an underlying health condition), you may need further treatment.
Tests may be carried out on a stool sample to find out what it causing your symptoms and antibiotics may be prescribed if the results show you have a bacterial infection.
Medication to stop you vomiting (anti-emetics) may also be prescribed if your vomiting is particularly severe.
In some cases, you may need to be admitted to hospital for a few days so you can be monitored and given fluids directly into a vein (intravenously).
Food poisoning is an illness caused by eating contaminated food. It's not usually serious and most people get better within a few days without treatment.
Food can become contaminated at any stage during its production, processing or cooking.
Food poisoning can usually be treated at home without seeking medical advice. Most people will feel better within a few days.
The best way to avoid getting food poisoning is to ensure you maintain high standards of personal and food hygiene when storing, handling and preparing food.