Infectious diseases
We investigate warnings of infectious diseases (particularly
food poisoning) from GPs, the public, businesses and other local
authorities.
Once a food poisoning notification has been received, we will
contact the person with the symptoms and ask them questions
regarding:
- What and where they've eaten prior to their illness
- Details of their symptoms
- Whether they've been on holiday abroad
- Whether or not their GP has taken a faecal sample and
- Whether anybody else they ate with also experienced any
symptoms. We may request that person to provide a faecal
sample
If a person with symptoms is a food handler or health
care/nursery worker who has direct contact serving food, with
highly susceptible patients or persons in whom an intestinal
infection would have serious consequences, they cannot return to
work until they are symptom-free for 48 hours. They must also
inform their employer of their symptoms.
Parents or guardians of children aged under five years or
children or adults unable to implement good standards of personal
hygiene, are advised to keep them away from school or other
establishments until they have also been symptom-free for 48
hours.
Food poisoning outbreaks
If a number of people ate at the same venue and have the same
food poisoning-type symptoms, this may be due to a food poisoning
outbreak. Our investigation into the outbreak will involve:
- interviewing people who are ill
- interviewing others who ate at the venue but didn't have
symptoms
- taking faecal and food samples (if appropriate) and
- inspecting the implicated venue
If there is enough evidence implicating a food premises within
the area as a possible source of the outbreak, we may decide to
carry out a food hygiene inspection.
If you believe that you are suffering from food poisoning (i.e.
sickness and diarrhoea) caught from a food premises, please contact
us using the details below.
Contact us:
Environmental Health Commercial Team –
Food
Mulberry Place
PO Box 55739
5 Clove Crescent
E14 1BY
Tel: 020 7364 5008
Fax: 020 7364 6901
Email: foodsafety@towerhamlets.gov.uk
Opening hours are: 9.00am to 5.00pm, Monday to
Friday
For more information, visit the Food Standard Agency’s website
http://www.food.gov.uk/.