Nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach cramps, headache, low grade fever, chills, muscle aches. Lasts for 1 to 2 days. Mainly person to person spread. Also contaminated food or drinks, putting contaminated hands or fingers in mouth, sharing food or eating from the same utensils as someone who is ill.
The Symptoms
According to Ketan Shah, food poisoning and gastroenteritis share most symptoms, which include abdominal cramps, fever, chills, nausea, decreased appetite, diarrhea , muscle or joint aches, headaches , and, of course, vomiting.
However, the key distinction is time: The symptoms of a stomach bug will take 12 to 48 hours to develop, while the symptoms of food poisoning typically develop much faster, usually within 6 hours of consuming an infected dish. Another common difference between the two is the length of illness.
Well, fortunately, you'll usually recover from the most common types of food poisoning within 12 to 48 hours. Your goal should be to make sure that your body gets enough fluids so that you don't become dehydrated. Don't eat solid foods until diarrhea has passed, and avoid dairy products.
What are the obvious symptoms of having food poisoning? The most common food poisoning symptoms include abdominal pain or cramping, diarrhea, and vomiting. Other symptoms of food poisoning can include thirst, headache, low-grade fever, chills, sweating, tiredness, and muscle aches.
These two illnesses definitely have similar symptoms — but there are differences between them. Food poisoning is usually caused by bacteria, and it comes from contaminated food or water. Stomach flu (gastroenteritis) is usually caused by a virus, and it spreads from person to person.
The illness normally begins with nausea, leading to severe vomiting. Other types of food poisoning such as campylobacter may only cause diarrhoea and abdominal cramps, without vomiting, although vomiting can occur in some cases.
The time it takes food poisoning symptoms to start can vary. Illness often starts in about 1 to 3 days. But symptoms can start any time from 30 minutes to 3 weeks after eating contaminated food. The length of time depends on the type of bacteria or virus causing the illness.
Symptoms of a salmonella infection may include diarrhea, fever, abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection chills, headache, nausea, or vomiting.
What are the symptoms? Common symptoms of norovirus infection include vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach cramping. Less common symptoms can include low-grade fever or chills, headache, and muscle aches.
They are most often associated with a fever. Chills are caused by rapid muscle contraction and relaxation. They are the body's way of producing heat when it feels cold. Chills often predict the coming of a fever or an increase in the body's core temperature.
You can also: take paracetamol for any fever or aches and pains. get plenty of rest. use special rehydration drinks, available from community pharmacies if you have signs of dehydration, such as a dry mouth or dark urine.
Drink water, broth, or an electrolyte solution, which will replace the minerals that you lose with vomiting and diarrhea. Eat when you feel ready, but start with small amounts of bland, nonfatty foods such as toast, rice, and crackers. Get plenty of rest.
In some cases of food poisoning by certain bacteria, they can cause other complications. You can use acetaminophen or ibuprofen to control pain and fever.
Green stool can also be a sign of food poisoning. It may also mean that food is moving too quickly through your large intestine and is common in people with conditions like colitis and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
How are chills treated? Layering clothes or getting to a warm place can make cold chills go away. You can also drink hot chocolate, coffee or tea to raise your internal body temperature. If an illness, infection or another health problem causes chills, treating the condition should get rid of the symptom.
The best foods to eat after a bout of food poisoning are bland foods that are easy to digest and things that restore hydration. These include bananas, rice, oatmeal, chicken broth, crackers, and rehydrating solutions like Gatorade and Pedialyte.
The bottom line. Food poisoning — by strict definition — is an illness caused by food contamination. By this definition, it's not contagious. But any illness that starts with a virus or bacteria and causes vomiting and diarrhea has the potential to spread from person to person.
Symptoms of food poisoning often include upset stomach, diarrhea and vomiting. Symptoms usually start within hours or several days of eating the food. Most people have mild illness and get better without treatment.