Abad belly may not be a result of too many chocolate bunnies, with food lovers urgedto take extra care preparing their Easter feasts so they avoid unwantedservings of Salmonella.
NSWHealth's Director of Communicable Diseases Dr Vicky Sheppeard said most Salmonella infections occur after someone has eaten contaminated food.
"The best way to prevent Salmonella infections is to ensure meat, poultry and eggs arethoroughly cooked and not left sitting out in warm temperatures, which causesthe bacteria to multiply," Dr Sheppeard said.
"A handy tip to remember is to throw out any foodthat is meant to be served cold from the fridge or hot from the oven if it'sbeen sitting on your table or kitchen bench for more than two hours.
"Also make sure you practice good hand hygiene byensuring you have thoroughly washed your hands before and after handling foodto prevent potential Salmonellainfection."
Some of the most common sources of outbreaks of salmonellosisin NSW involve food products containing undercooked eggs or poor hygiene in thekitchen when bacteria from eggs or chicken spread into other foods duringpreparation.
Symptoms of salmonellosis include fever, headache,diarrhoea, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. The symptoms usually startaround six to 72 hours after someone has eaten contaminated food and can last aweek or more.
"Salmonellosis can be quite severe and in somecases, particularly with young babies, the elderly and those with weakenedimmune systems, people have to be hospitalised to manage dehydration," DrSheppeard said.
"Anyoneinfected with salmonellosis should not prepare food for others while they areunwell, and for 48 hours once their symptoms have passed."
There'sbeen 1406 notified cases of salmonella in NSW so far this year, compared to anaverage of 1,632 for the same corresponding period for the previous three years.
Formore information:
https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/factsheets/Pages/salmonellosis.aspx
