A foodborne infection is an inflammation of the stomach and bowels. The infection can happen when you eat or drink something that is contaminated by a bacteria, virus or parasite. Often the inflammation leads to diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, abdominal cramps and sometimes fever. A foodborne infection can last between one and three days. 

Many foodborne infections occur at people’s homes, simply due to poor hygiene. It’s as easy as this: preparing food without hand washing after visiting the toilet d food. Cross-contamination is also a risk, for instance if raw meat and lettuce are both chopped on the same cutting board. Even using the same knife to chop both could cause contamination by foodborne pathogens. Eating meat or fish that is not cooked all the way through, or eating raw shellfish, increases the risk of food-borne infections.

Foodborne infections can cause vomiting, diarrhoea and other symptoms. Proper hygiene will prevent contamination and further spreading. For instance, wash your hands before preparing dinner, and after each visit to the toilet. Also pay particular attention to separating your prepared and unprepared food. Put food in the refrigerator within two hours, chop your meat and vegetables on separate cutting boards and wash tea towels at 60 degrees.