Food poisoning
An acute illness, of sudden onset caused by the recent consumption of contaminated or poisonous food (Usually with symptoms of diarrhoea and/or vomiting)
A case of food poisoning
“A person with symptoms, usually diarrhoea and/or vomiting, who has become ill as a result of eating contaminated food and who has provided a positive specimen or is part of a confirmed food poisoning outbreak”
Outbreak of food poisoning
Two or more people with a common exposure experience a similar illness
General outbreak
Two or more cases in different households
Family outbreak
Two or more cases in the same household
Sporadic case
· Isolated cases with no connection with other cases
· Majority of cases – sporadic
· (May be part of an undetected outbreak relating to retailing or manufacture)
Carriers
Carriers are people who:
· Excrete food poisoning organisms or carry them on their bodies
· Show no symptoms
Two types:
Convalescent carrier
Recovered from illness but is still excreting organisms
Healthy carrier
Never shown symptoms but is excreting organisms