9 things you should know about salmonella

Aldi recalling chocolate after salmonella scare

Here are some facts and figures about the salmonella bacteria...

• You usually get salmonella by eating contaminated food.

• Salmonella bacteria live in the gut of many farm animals and can affect meat, eggs, poultry and milk.

• Anyone can get salmonella, but young children, the elderly and people who have immune systems that are not working properly (including people with cancer, AIDS or alcoholism) have a greater risk of becoming severely ill.

• Symptoms include diarrhoea, stomach cramps and sometimes vomiting and fever.

• On average, it takes from 12 to 72 hours for the symptoms to develop after swallowing an infectious dose of salmonella.

• Symptoms usually last for four to seven days and most people recover without treatment.

• It is impossible to tell from its appearance whether food is contaminated with salmonella. It will look, smell and taste normal.

• Salmonella can be spread from person to person by poor hygiene, by failing to wash your hands properly after going to the toilet, or after handling contaminated food.

• If someone has salmonella, wash all dirty clothes, bedding and towels in the washing machine on the hottest cycle possible.

For more information about salmonella visit www.nhs.uk