What should I do if I suspect I have food poisoning?
If you suspect you are suffering from an infectious disease, including food poisoning, it is recommended that you consult your GP as soon as possible. please see our Food Poisoning webpage for further information. If you think you have been infected following a visit to a premises in Dudley, please make a food complaint or a health and safety complaint to us.
What does the Council do?
The Council receives notifications of infectious disease from a variety of sources including local GPs,hospitals, the Health Protection Agency, test laboratories and members of the public. The Food & Occupational Safety Team undertake investigations into these infectious diseases as soon as possible to ascertain how they were acquired and what risk the individual poses to the community. The Food and Occupational and Safety Team routinely investigates cases of food poisoning and other notifiable infectious diseases. These are usually reported to the Council by the Health Protection Agency following receipt of positive results from their laboratory. This normally arises as a result of people contacting their GP and submitting a faecal sample for examination.
Where a decision has been made to investigate an infection, an environmental health officer will contact the person(s) affected by post, telephone or by visiting them to ask 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.
Bacteria and symptoms
The incubation period (time taken from becoming infected to feeling unwell) varies with each type of organism and in some cases can be as long as two weeks or more. If you suspect you are suffering from food poisoning, it is important to realise that the last meal you ate may not be the cause of your symptoms.
For further details on incubation periods and symptoms see the Bacteria and Symptom Chart
Not all cases of infectious disease are due to contaminated food, many are caused by viruses that often have the same symptoms of food poisoning and spread very quickly from one person to another. These types of infection are especially common in babies and young children who pick them up from other children at nurseries, playgroups and school. Other sources of infection include farm animals and household pets.
Where can I get further information?
The Health Protection Agency website has further information on Infectious Diseases. Alternatively, you can discuss any specific queries or concerns you may have with an environmental health officer. please contact us using the details below.
