Introduction
Food poisoning is rarely serious and usually gets better within a week. You can normally treat yourself or your child at home.
Symptoms of food poisoning include:
- feeling sick (nausea)
- diarrhoea
- being sick (vomiting)
- stomach cramps
- a high temperature of 38C or above
- feeling generally unwell – such as feeling tired or having aches and chills
The symptoms usually start within a few days of eating the food that caused the infection.
Sometimes they start after a few hours or not for a few weeks.
How to treat food poisoning yourself
You can usually treat yourself or your child at home.
The symptoms usually pass within a week.
The most important thing is to have lots of fluids, such as water or squash, to avoid dehydration.
Read about how to treat diarrhoea and vomiting ↗
Diarrhoea and sickness
Stay off school or work until you have not been sick or had diarrhoea for at least 2 days.
Food poisoning is caused by eating something that has been contaminated with germs.
This can happen if food:
- is not cooked or reheated thoroughly
- is not stored correctly – for example, it's not been frozen or chilled
- is left out for too long
- is handled by someone who's ill or has not washed their hands
- is eaten after its "use by" date
Any type of food can cause food poisoning.