Infectious Disease

Your GP Doctor or hospital will inform Environmental Health if you have food poisoning such as salmonella or an infectious disease such as typhoid. 

It is very important to ensure that food handlers and healthcare workers do not pass on the infection whilst they are at work so we always investigate cases where such workers are implicated. 

We also always investigate if a pre school aged child is infected.  If an outbreak involving more than one person is discovered we follow our outbreak plan and try to find out which foods and businesses were involved.   We are looking to prevent the infection spreading and put in measures to stop outbreaks happening in the future. 

This investigation can lead to food being seized and a business being closed down or taken to court.   Members of the public can also contact us directly if they think they have been infected although please note that our actions may be limited if food poisoning cannot be confirmed or you do not wish to go to the doctors for samples to be taken.  It is possible, for example, to confuse food poisoning with viruses such as the norovirus, which has similar symptoms.

Further advice on infectious disease and outbreaks is available from the Health Protection Agency.