Food Poisoning and Infectious Diseases

Eaten something that hasn't agreed with you? Worried about chickenpox at your child's school? We are here to help.

Tackling food poisoning

Food poisoning, normally caused when bacteria in food grow beyond safe levels, is becoming increasingly widespread.

In fact, they make up the majority of the 1,200 cases doctors refer to the food team every year.

If you're suffering from the common symptoms - diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach cramps, fever and headaches - you should see your doctor, having noted down all the foods you ate for three days before you were ill.

If you think you may have been affected by food being prepared or sold in unhygienic conditions, or have seen it happening, please let us know.

Tackling infectious diseases

The law requires all doctors to tell us about cases of infectious diseases that can spread quickly in the community and pose a risk to public health, including:

• food poisoning
• measles
• tuberculosis (TB)
• meningitis
• hepatitis
• mumps
• typhoid
• cholera

We work closely with the Consultant of Communicable Disease Control at Lambeth, Southwark & Lewisham Health Authority to find out the sources of infection and prevent disease from spreading further.

This includes:

• locating people who have had contact with the source of infection
• talking to people who are unwell about ways such infections are spread and routine precautions to take to prevent further infection
• recording and analysing information on outbreaks of infectious disease
• taking enforcement action where food poisoning can be clearly linked with a food business in Lambeth, eg, removing contaminated food from sale.

Working in schools

The food team also works with the health authority to prevent and control the spread of infectious disease among children in schools and nurseries including:

• chickenpox
• scabies
• head lice
• ringworm.

How we can help

We can provide advice on the prevention and control of a range of infectious illnesses and, in particular, how to avoid and deal with food poisoning.

We publish a range of leaflets containing information and advice on infectious disease and food safety.

If you would like further information on any of these issues, please contact us.

Our service standards

We aim to provide you with the best service possible in accordance with our service standards:

• Where there is a suspected or potential outbreak of illness or individual cases of illness where there could be a serious public health threat, we will respond on the same day we are notified.
• Where there are single cases of infectious disease that do not pose as great a risk but where further spread may occur (for example, most food poisoning cases), we will respond within one working day of the date notified.
• Where risk of further spread is limited, but advice, information and other investigation is needed, we will respond within three working days of the date notified.

Who to contact

You can contact us by phone, email or letter, or you can visit our offices.

Lambeth Regulatory Services
(Infectious Disease Control)
2 Herne Hill Road
London
SE24 0AU
Phone: 020 7926 6110
Fax: 020 7926 6120
Email: foodsafety@lambeth.gov.uk

Opening hours

Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm.