Salmonella
What is it?
- A common cause of food poisoning, it lives in the intestines of animals and infected people.
- People who get ill with Salmonella can remain contagious even when they have fully recovered.
- It only takes a very low dose of some strains to make a
person ill.
How does it spread?
- Salmonella generally comes from the faeces of infected people and animals.
- It enters the home frequently on raw poultry, but also on other foods including eggs, and on animals (especially exotic pets).
- It enters the body through the mouth and spreads from person to person via contaminated food, hands and surfaces.
- The risk of contamination is particularly severe when someone has diarrhoea because bouts can be frequent, increasing the likelihood of spreading the bacteria.
Who is at risk?
- Anyone can be infected by Salmonella but those most at risk are children, the elderly and other vulnerable people.
Symptoms
- Diarrhoea, fever and stomach cramps
- In people more prone to infection, the Salmonella bacteria may spread to the bloodstream and affect the internal organs.
Prevent the spread
- Everyone should wash their hands frequently and thoroughly
- Take special care with food and kitchen hygiene. Ill people should not prepare food for others
- As ill people can carry bacteria for many weeks after recovery, you should maintain good hygiene standards even when the symptoms have gone.
- Hygienically clean bathroom surfaces and disinfect toilets & potties regularly with a bleach solution. If someone has diarrhoea, disinfect the toilet after each time they use it.
-
Clean up any spillages (e.g. poo, vomit) immediately. Disinfect cleaning cloths etc by soaking in a solution of dilute bleach overnight drying them thoroughly.
- Handle dirty nappies with care and ensure they are disposed of carefully by putting them in a nappy bag, before putting them in a bin-liner. Doing this ensures that any bacteria are less likely to cause further harm. If you use a nappy bin, make sure you use bleach to clean it after use.
