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Symptoms of food poisoning include:
The symptoms usually start within a few hours or a few days of eating food that caused the infection.
Sometimes symptoms do not start for a few weeks.
If you or your child have food poisoning, you can usually treat it at home.
The symptoms usually get better within a week.
Diarrhoea and vomiting can usually be treated at home. The most important thing is to have lots of fluids to avoid dehydration.
stay at home and get plenty of rest
drink lots of fluids, such as water or squash – take small sips if you feel sick
carry on breast or bottle feeding your baby – if they're being sick, try giving small feeds more often than usual
give babies on formula or solid foods small sips of water between feeds
eat when you feel able to – it may help to avoid foods that are fatty or spicy
take paracetamol if you're in discomfort – check the leaflet before giving it to your child
do not have fruit juice or fizzy drinks – they can make diarrhoea worse
do not make baby formula weaker – use it at its usual strength
do not give children under 12 medicine to stop diarrhoea
do not give aspirin to children under 16
Speak to a pharmacist if:
They may recommend:
111 will tell you what to do. They can arrange a phone call from a nurse or doctor if you need one.
Do not drive to A&E. Ask someone to drive you or call 999 and ask for an ambulance.
Bring any medicines you take with you.
Food poisoning is caused by eating something that has been contaminated with germs.
This can happen if food is:
Any type of food can cause food poisoning.
Food poisoning is usually caused by:
Find out more about food hygiene and avoiding food poisoning from the Food Standards Agency website.
