Food poisoning

About food poisoning

Food poisoning is a type of gastroenteritis.

Food poisoning happens when we eat foods like red meat, chicken, seafood, eggs or cream that have germs in them. The germs grow because the food is undercooked, poorly reheated or not stored properly. Germs can also grow when the food isn’t properly washed during preparation or is prepared with dirty hands or dirty equipment.

Many different types of germs can cause food poisoning. Bacteria are often the cause, but some viruses, fungi, parasites and toxins can also cause food poisoning.

Symptoms of food poisoning

Symptoms might include:

Symptoms of food poisoning most commonly appear a few hours after eating bad food, but it can be anytime from 30 minutes to a few days. It often takes 24-48 hours for symptoms to settle down.

Symptoms of food poisoning can be more severe in babies than in older children and teenagers. Children with weakened immune systems are also more likely to get food poisoning.

If your child has the symptoms of food poisoning, you should watch your child for signs of dehydration.

Medical help: when to get it for children and teenagers with food poisoning

See your GP if your child has:

diarrhoea that goes on for more than a few days
bloody diarrhoea.

Take your child to a hospital emergency department or call 000 for an ambulance straight away if your child:

has severe stomach pain and vomiting and can’t keep any fluid down
has symptoms of food poisoning and is less than one year old
has symptoms of food poisoning and also has a weakened immune system
shows signs of being extremely unwell.

Also seek emergency medical attention if your child seems to be dehydrated. For example, your child isn’t passing urine, looks thin, has lost colour in their face, has sunken eyes, cold hands and cold feet, is drowsy or is very cranky.

Treatment for food poisoning

Most cases of food poisoning are mild, and your child won’t need any specific treatment. But it’s important to make sure that your child has enough to drink.

Fluids
Give your child small amounts to drink often – for example, a few mouthfuls every 15 minutes. This will help to prevent dehydration.

It’s best to use an oral rehydration fluid like Gastrolyte, Hydralyte, Pedialyte or Repalyte. You can buy these fluids over the counter from a pharmacy. These products might come as premade liquid, powder or icy poles for freezing. Make sure that you make up the liquid carefully according to the instructions on the packet.

If you can’t get oral rehydration fluid, you can use diluted lemonade, cordial or fruit juice. Use 1 part lemonade or juice to 4 parts water. Full-strength lemonade, cordial or fruit juice might make diarrhoea worse, so don’t give these to your child.

If you have a breastfed baby, keep breastfeeding but feed more often. You can also give your baby oral rehydration fluid between increased feeds.

If you have a bottle-fed baby, give them only oral rehydration fluid for the first 24 hours and then reintroduce full-strength formula in smaller, more frequent feeds. You can still offer extra oral rehydration fluids between feeds.

Getting your child to drink
Your child might not be keen to drink. You can try to get your child drinking more by giving them drinks via a syringe, spoon or straw. Or it might help to chill drinks first. Your child could also suck icy poles.

Food
Your child might refuse food to start with. But don’t stop food for more than 24 hours.

If your child is hungry, you can give them food at the same time as fluid. It’s generally best to start with bland foods like plain crackers, bread, rice, potato or jelly. They can start eating other foods gradually.

It might be best for your child to avoid or eat only small amounts of dairy products for 7-10 days after an episode of food poisoning. Dairy products might make diarrhoea go on longer.

Additional treatment and complications
If your child is very dehydrated or can’t keep oral fluids down, they might need fluids to be given through a tube that goes up their nose and into the stomach or directly into a vein through a drip. In this case, your child will have to go into hospital.

Don’t treat your child with antidiarrhoea medicines. There’s no evidence to show that these medicines work. Your doctor or pharmacist will tell you about the best treatment options for your child.

Preventing food poisoning

The first step to preventing food poisoning is always washing your hands thoroughly before eating and handling food.

Here’s how to prepare food hygienically:

Wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly.
Check that meats are fresh and smell OK.
Cook meat, eggs and seafood well.
Use separate surfaces or chopping boards for raw meat and vegetables.
Try not to prepare food for others if you’re sick. If you can‘t avoid it, wear a mask and gloves if you can.

Make sure to reheat food thoroughly.

Make sure to store food properly and at the right temperature so it’s protected from contamination. And remember to check the use-by or best-before date on packaging before eating.

And here are tips for avoiding food poisoning when you’re eating out:

Check the cleanliness of the restaurant or takeaway food shop.
Consider whether staff follow good hygiene practices.
Check that food is being stored and served at the correct temperature.
Check that meat is cooked right through.
Eat takeaway food within a few hours or put it in the fridge as soon as possible.