Stomach upsets and infectious intestinal disease (IID)

Nearly 17 million people suffer from stomach upsets in the UK every year, leading to about 11 million lost working days, new research published today by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has found.

The study, which is the biggest of its kind for more than 10 years, looked at the impact of all cases of infectious intestinal disease (IID), not just those linked to food, on the UK population.

The research was carried out by a group of organisations led by the University of Manchester.

IID is typically vomiting or diarrhoea, or a combination of the two.

 

The impact of severe stomach upsets (IID)

The key findings and business impacts presented by the research included:

• There are up to 17 million cases of IID annually, which is the equivalent of one in four people becoming ill during the year.
• Approximately 50% of people with IID took time off from work or school because of their symptoms. The University of Manchester has calculated that this represents nearly 19 million days lost – more than 11 million of these were in people of working age.
• For every case of IID recorded in national surveillance there are 147 that are unreported.

What causes Infectious Intestinal Disease?

The study highlighted two main causes of severe upset stomachs:

• Norovirus was identified as the largest cause of IID in the UK. Although many norovirus infections are spread by person-to-person transmission, it does have the potential to cause foodborne disease and is included in the Agency’s Foodborne Disease Strategy 2010–2015.
• The study also shows that campylobacter was the main cause of bacterial IID in the UK, which emphasises the need to reduce the high levels found on raw poultry in the UK. Campylobacter is estimated to cause about 500,000 cases of illness in the UK every year. It is mainly found on raw poultry, and a recent survey by the FSA found that two thirds of chicken samples on sale within the UK were contaminated with the bacteria.

How to reduce IID

The research and other sources highlight two main areas of concern, personal hygiene and food and it’s preparation.

• Personal hygiene – infection and cross-infection can be significantly reduced by thorough hand-washing, particularly  after using the toilet and before preparing food. Acorn has prepared a visual guide outlining  ‘The Six Steps to Effective Hand Washing’.
• Food preparation – the FSA’s advice on preparation and handling of food will help to minimise the risk from bacteria and viruses linked to food. Acorn can provide pragmatic advice to save you time in this area.

 

Further information about the research is available on the Food Standards Agency website.