HealthInfo West Coast-Te Tai Poutini
Salmonella is a group of bacteria (germs) that can cause food poisoning. This can cause an infection called gastroenteritis.
The Salmonella infection (or Salmonellosis) is spread by eating contaminated food. It can also be spread from person to person due to poor hygiene such as poor hand washing.
Symptoms include diarrhoea and stomach cramps. They usually start between six and 72 hours after being infected. Some people feel sick and vomit. Symptoms usually last between three and five days.
The best ways to avoid getting Salmonella are to practise good hand hygiene and follow food safety advice.
If you think you have Salmonella, you should visit your GP for testing and assessment. Your GP may arrange for a sample of your faeces (poo) to be tested.
If the tests find Salmonella, your GP will report this to the local public health team. They may contact you for more information. This is to help stop the infection spreading further.
There is no specific treatment for Salmonella. The treatment is aimed at relieving symptoms. You should rest and drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration. See the self-care section on the gastroenteritis page for more details.
You should see your GP if you have bloody diarrhoea or a fever or if your symptoms have not gone away after seven days. You should also see your GP if you're very unwell or if you have a weakened immune system.
You should take your child to your GP if they aren't drinking, if they're passing less urine than usual, have a dry mouth or sunken eyes or if they seem drowsy.
To reduce the risk of spreading the infection, it's important to have good hand hygiene. This includes washing your hands with soap and water.
Try to avoid preparing food if you have Salmonella. If you do prepare food, make sure you wash and dry your hands well first. Follow this food safety advice.
Stay away from work, community gatherings and school or preschool until you or your child have been free of symptoms for 24 to 48 hours. This includes the last time you had diarrhoea.
You should wait for at least two weeks after the last episode of diarrhoea before you go swimming in a pool.
HealthInfo recommends the following pages
This pamphlet explains what these infections are, symptoms, what to do if you have symptoms, and how to prevent infection.
This page explains what Salmonella is, how you can catch it, and what symptoms it causes.
Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed May 2022.
Review key: HIGTE-81185