Food poisoning outbreak investigated in West London
Friday September 18, 2009
More than 30 cases of possible food poisoning are being investigated by the North West London Health Protection Unit and Hammersmith & Fulham Council. Of these 14 have now been confirmed as Salmonella.
Immediate investigations are underway to identify any possible sources for the illness. As part of these investigations Shahi Nan Kebab, a takeaway shop in Uxbridge Road, west London, has voluntarily closed. The owners are co-operating fully while investigations take place.
Dr Yimmy Chow, Consultant in Communicable Disease Control from the North West London Health Protection Unit, said:
“The risk of Salmonella is small to those who are in good health but young children, the elderly and people whose immune systems are not working properly have a greater risk of becoming severely ill.
“We are carrying out a full investigation to find the source of the infection and as a precautionary measure we would advise members of the public who bought food items from this takeaway shop and still has them in their fridge to not eat the item and throw it away.
“Salmonella is one of the common causes of food poisoning in the UK and whilst the majority of cases are sporadic, outbreaks do occur.”
Advice and information about the incident is being sent to London hospitals, north west London GPs, NHS Direct and pharmacists.
Children and adults should stay away from nursery, school or work for 48 hours after the symptoms have stopped. If you work with vulnerable groups such as the elderly, the young, those in poor health, or if you handle food you will need to inform your employer.
Councillor Nicholas Botterill, H&F Council Deputy Leader, said: "We would urge any resident who is concerned that they may have contracted Salmonella to contact their GP or other health services. In the meantime, the council is continuing to work closely with the Health Protection Agency to establish the cause of the outbreak."
Salmonella can be spread from person to person by poor hygiene, by failing to wash your hands properly after going to the toilet, or after handling contaminated food.
Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water:
- before preparing and eating food
- after handling raw food
- after going to the toilet or changing a baby's nappy
- after contact with pets and other animals, especially reptiles and amphibians
- after working in the garden
Notes to Editors:
1. Salmonella is a gastrointestinal illness which is most commonly acquired by eating contaminated food, mainly of animal origin, or by faecal contamination from an infected person or animal.
2. Symptoms include:
• watery diarrhoea
• stomach cramps
• and sometimes vomiting and fever.
These symptoms usually last for four to seven days and clear up without treatment, but if you become seriously ill you may need to be treated for dehydration (fluid loss) caused by the illness.
3. You usually get salmonella by eating contaminated food. Salmonella bacteria live in the gut of many farm animals and can affect meat, eggs, poultry, and milk. Other foods like green vegetables, fruit and shellfish can become contaminated through contact with manure in the soil or sewage in the water.
Contamination is also possible if raw and cooked foods are stored together. It is impossible to tell from its appearance whether food is contaminated with salmonella. It will look, smell and taste normal.
Keep cooked food away from raw food. Store raw foods below cooked or ready-to-eat foods in the fridge to prevent contamination. Wash raw fruits and vegetables thoroughly before eating. Cook food thoroughly, especially meat, so that it is piping hot.
If someone has salmonella, wash all dirty clothes, bedding and towels in the washing machine on the hottest cycle possible. Clean toilet seats, toilet bowls, flush handles, taps and wash hand basins after use with detergent and hot water, followed by a household disinfectant.
4. Approximately 17000 new cases of Salmonella occur in the UK each year.
5. If you are worried about your symptoms please phone your GP for advice or NHS Direct on 0845 46 47.
6. People unwell with diarrhoea and vomiting should not attend work or school until he/ she has no symptoms.
7. Media enquiries to Katherine Lewis, Regional Communications Manager – HPA London at katherine.lewis@hpa.org.uk or 020 7759 2824 or Hammersmith & Fulham Council on 020 8748 8588.
