What are food poisoning symptoms?

Food poisoning symptoms can depend on a lot of factors

Food poisoning symptoms may range from mild to severe and can differ significantly depending of the contaminant, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The most common symptoms of food poisoning are:

• Upset stomach
• Stomach cramps
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Fever

After you consume a contaminated food or drink -- especially if it is a chemical contaminant -- you may show symptoms of poisoning immediately. With some biological contaminants, it may take hours or days before you develop symptoms of food poisoning. If you believe you are suffering from a foodborne illness, please report it to IWasPoisoned.com.

Common signs of food poisoning

Common signs of food poisoning are nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps and diarrhea. However, symptoms may differ among the different types of foodborne diseases. Symptoms can sometimes be severe and some foodborne illnesses can even be life-threatening. Anyone can get a foodborne illness, but people in these categories are more at risk of the severe or long-term impacts:

• Pregnant women
• Young children
• Older adults
• People with immune systems weakened from medical conditions, such as diabetes, HIV/AIDS, or from receiving chemotherapy or radiation treatment.

Many people with food poisoning get better without medical treatment, but people with severe symptoms should see their doctor.

Complications From Food Poisoning

Many cases of food poisoning result in a mild illness that lasts a few hours or several days. However some people need to be hospitalized and/or have illnesses that result in long-term health problems (insert: https://www.foodsafety.gov/poisoning/effects) or even death. Infections transmitted by food can result in chronic arthritis, brain and nerve damage, and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which causes kidney failure.

When to See a Doctor for Severe Food Poisoning

If you experience symptoms of food poisoning, such as diarrhea or vomiting, drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration, according to the CDC. See your doctor or healthcare provider if you have symptoms that are severe, including:

• High fever (temperature over 101.5°F)
• Blood in stools
• Frequent vomiting that prevents keeping liquids down
• Signs of dehydration, including a marked decrease in urination, a very dry mouth and throat, or feeling dizzy when standing up.
• Diarrhea that lasts more than 3 days

For more information about:

Recalled Food

If you have food poisoning and want to check recently recalled foods, please visit this page: Active Recalls

Current Multistate Food Poisoning Outbreaks

Here is a list of current foodborne illness outbreaks.

When two or more people get the same illness from the same contaminated food or drink, the event is called a foodborne or food poisoning outbreak. Reporting illnesses to your local health department helps them identify potential outbreaks of foodborne disease. Public health officials investigate outbreaks to control them, so more people do not get sick in the outbreak, and to learn how to prevent similar outbreaks from happening in the future.

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