Infectious diseases

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 5 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) and 
• inspecting the implicated venue.

Contact details

South Derbyshire District Council 
Environmental Services
Civic Offices
Civic Way
Swadlincote
Derbyshire
DE11 0AH

Tel: 01283 595890 or 01283 595724
Online: contact form
email: environmental.health@south-derbys.gov.uk

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