health: 　　It'sestimatedtherearemorethan9millioncasesofgastro-enteritiseachyearinEngland.Foranincreasingnumberofpeople,it'sduetofoodpoisoning,somethingthat'spreventable. 　　Gastro-enteritisdescribessymptomsaffectingthebowel,suchasnausea,vomiting,diarrhoeaandstomachpain.Foodpoisoningisthetypeofgastro-enteritiscausedbyeatingordrinkingsomethingcontaminatedwithmicro-organismsorgerms,orbytoxicsubstancesproducedbythesegerms.Theseillnessesareoftenaccompaniedbyfever,muscleaches,shiveringandfeelingexhausted. 　　Thesemicro-organismsenterthebodyinoneoftwoways: 　　Inthefood.Thefoodisn'tcookedthoroughly,sothemicro-organismsaren'tkilledoff.Thisisoftenthecasewithbarbecuedfood,forexample. 　　Onthefood.Forexample,thepersonpreparingthefooddoesn'twashtheirhandsbeforehandlingthefood. 　　Commonfoodculprits 　　campylobacter-milkandpoultry 　　salmonella-eggs,meat(especiallypoultry) 　　clostridia-sporesinfood(especiallymeat) 　　listeria-meat,dairyfoods,fishandshellfish. 　　Causes 　　CampylobacterinfectionisthemostcommoncauseoffoodpoisoningseenbyGPs.Itlikestoresideinmilkandpoultry. 　　Othercommoncausesincludesalmonella,listeria,shigellaandclostridia.Sometakeafewhourstocausesymptoms,otherstakeafewdays.SeriousinfectionswithE.coliare,fortunately,uncommon. 　　Prevention 　　Followthesetipstopreventfoodpoisoning: 　　Alwayswashyourhandsthoroughlybeforepreparingfood,aftergoingtothetoiletandafterhandlingpets. 　　Keepkitchenworksurfacesclean. 　　Keeppetsawayfromfood. 　　Makesurefoodisdefrostedcompletelybeforecooking. 　　Ensurefoodiscookedthoroughlybeforeeating.Meatshouldn'thaveanypinkbits. 　　Servereheatedfoodpipinghot. 　　Keeprawmeatandfishcoveredandstoreatthebottomofthefridge. 　　Storeallperishablefoodsat5°C(41°F)orless. 　　Keeprawfoodcoveredup. 　　Rinsefruitandvegetablesunderrunningwaterbeforeeating. 　　Throwawayanyfoodthat'spastitsuse-bydate,doesn'tsmellrightand/orhasfungusonit. 　　Treatment 　　Mostinfectionslast24to48hours,duringwhichtimefluidisoftenlostfrombothends.Topreventdehydration,drinkplentyofcooledboiledwaterandusere-hydrationpowdersifthesymptomscontinue.Sometimes,antibiotictreatmentisnecessary;thiscanbedeterminedbytestingforthemicro-organismresponsible. 　　It'sespeciallyimportantthatanyonewhoseworkinvolveshandlingorpreparingfoodstaysawayfromworkwhiletheyhavesymptomstoavoidpassingtheillnesstoothers.Theymustalsonotify,andseekadvicefrom,theirlocalenvironmentalhealthdepartment. 　　Ifsomeonesuspectsthatfoodboughtfrom,oreatenin,aspecificshop,takeawayorrestaurantisresponsible,theyshouldalsoinformtheirlocalenvironmentalhealthdepartment,sothestandardsoffoodhygienecanbeinvestigated. 　　ThisarticlewaslastmedicallyreviewedbyDrRobHicksinDecember2005.