Botulism |
Blurred vision, difficulty in speaking, swallowing and breathing, nausea, vomiting, dry mouth, weakness, fatigue and ultimately paralysis. |
12 to 36 hours |
Honey, home-preserved fruits, vegetables, potato salad, minced garlic in oil. Canned foods, meat, fish and soft cheeses. |
Clostridium perfringens |
Diarrhoea, stomach cramps that last for about 24 hours. |
8 to 22 hours |
Meat, poultry. |
Campylobacter |
Diarrhoea, fever and abdominal pain. Symptoms last for about 5 days. |
2 to 7 days |
Raw poultry and meat, contaminated water, unpasteurised milk. |
Cholera (Infection normally obtained overseas)
|
Profuse, watery diarrhoea (characteristic ‘rice water’ faeces), nausea and vomiting, dehydration, fever, stomach cramps. |
Few hours to 5 days (usually 12 to 24 hours) |
Contaminated food and drink, fish or shellfish from contaminated waters. |
Cryptosporidiosis |
Watery to severe diarrhoea, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever, weight loss. Symptoms last for about 2 weeks. |
2 to 10 days |
Uncooked food, fruit and vegetables. |
Giardia infection |
Foul smelling greasy or watery diarrhoea, stomach cramps, nausea, fatigue, bloating, and loss of appetite. |
7 to 10 days |
Uncooked food, fruit and vegetables. |
Haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) - see STEC
|
Diarrhoea, abdominal pain, vomiting and fever. |
2 to 8 days |
Undercooked beef, unpasteurised milk, sprouts, contaminated water. |
Hepatitis A (Infection normally obtained overseas)
|
Abdominal pain, fever. Tiredness, jaundice. |
15 to 50 days |
Contaminated food and drink, fish or shellfish from contaminated waters. |
Listeria infection |
Flu-like symptoms: fever, headaches and pains. May cause miscarriage and stillbirth. Symptoms are most likely to occur in vulnerable groups. |
2 days to 3 months |
Soft cheese, unpasteurised milk, ready-to-eat deli meats. |
Norovirus infection |
Nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach cramps, headache, low grade fever, chills, muscle aches. Lasts for 1 to 2 days. |
1 to 2 days |
Mainly person to person spread. Also contaminated food or drinks, putting contaminated hands or fingers in mouth, sharing food or eating from the same utensils as someone who is ill. |
Salmonellosis
|
Abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhoea, fever, vomiting and headache. |
8 hours to 7 days (usually 12 to 36 hours) |
Raw chicken and meat, undercooked eggs, raw egg mayonnaise. |
Shiga toxin producing E.coli (STEC) |
Diarrhoea, abdominal pain, vomiting and fever. Illness can develop into HUS. |
2 to 8 days |
Undercooked beef, unpasteurised milk, sprouts, contaminated water. |
Shigellosis |
Diarrhoea (usually containing mucus and/or blood), nausea and vomiting, fever, stomach cramps. Symptoms last about 4 to 7 days. |
1 to 7 days (usually 1 to 3 days) |
Contaminated food, drink and objects. Person to person spread. |
Staphylococcus aureus |
Nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps and diarrhoea. Last for about 1 to 3 days |
1 to 6 hours |
Raw meat and poultry, cheese, cream, unpasteurised milk, processed meat. |
Typhoid & Paratyphoid (Infection normally obtained overseas)
|
|
Typhoid: 8 to 14 days
Paratyphoid:1 to 10 days
|
Contaminated food or drinks, putting contaminated hands or fingers in mouth, sharing food or eating from the same utensils as someone who is ill. |
Vibrio parahaemolyticus |
Diarrhoea, stomach pain, nausea and vomiting. May last several days. |
4 to 30 hours |
Raw or undercooked fish and shellfish. |