The Department of Public Health HSE North East (DPHNE) have seen an almost 30% increase in acute infectious gastroenteritis (AIG) cases in the North East in recent weeks and are asking the public to take extra precautions.
Micro-organisms such as bacteria (e.g. salmonella, e-coli), viruses (e.g. norovirus, rotavirus) and parasites (e.g. giardiasis) can cause AIG. These micro-organisms are transmitted via contaminated food, water or the contact between individuals.
Symptoms may include a combination of diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and fever. Most episodes of AIG result in mild illness. However complications include prolonged symptoms, dehydration and hospitalisation.
At-risk groups include people who work in food handling, healthcare workers, preschool/nursery staff, children under 5 years of age and older children/adults unable to implement good standards of personal hygiene.
To date in 2022, DPHNE have been notified of 207 cases of AIG in the North East. This is an increase from 162 cases in the same time period in 2021. Of note, the health protection team at DPHNE (which comprises public heath doctors, nurses and surveillance scientists) have seen the main increases in norovirus (“winter vomiting bug”), campylobacter, and rotavirus cases in the last number of weeks.
Commenting on the increase in notifications, Dr Augustine Pereira, Director of Public Health in the North East said “the increase in acute gastroenteritis infections is possibly due to the increased socialisation of people since COVID-19 restrictions have eased. While COVID-19 cases are declining in the population at present, we are seeing an increased number of gastro-intestinal infections. Much like COVID-19, the risk of gastrointestinal infections can be dramatically reduced through good hand hygiene practices”
Dr Niall Conroy, Specialist in Public Health Medicine in the North East said “there are simple actions that people can take to keep safe and prevent infectious gastroenteritis ‘stomach bug’ and they include:
- Staying at home if you are unwell and seeking medical advice.
- Washing hands especially when preparing food, before eating, after toileting, and after being in contact with animals.
- Separating raw meat/poultry from other foods which will not be cooked e.g. salads
- Cooking all poultry products thoroughly.
- Washing your fruit and vegetables before eating.“
For further information on acute infectious gastroenteritis, please visit: www.hpsc.ie, www.fsai.ie or www.safefood.net.
