Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 13, 2026

A High-throughput Platform for the Screening of Salmonella spp./Shigella spp.
Published on: November 7, 2018
General practitioner notifications of gastroenteritis and food poisoning: cause for concern
1Leeds PCT, North West House, West Park Ring Road, Leeds LS16 6QG, UK. fiona.day@leedspct.nhs.uk
Background:
Under the Public Health (Infectious Diseases) Regulations 1988, all doctors are required by law to notify suspected cases of specific infections and food poisoning. Doctors' propensity to notify is known to be low, and we sought to quantify this locally.
Methods:
From July 2000 to June 2002, we conducted a baseline audit of notifications by Wakefield GPs of cases of suspected gastrointestinal infection or food poisoning. We repeated the audit during 2005-06, following a series of local interventions to improve notification.
Results:
The baseline audit demonstrated considerable variation in reporting behaviour and timeliness of notification. Following the re-audit, we found that notification rates and timeliness had not improved, indeed they had deteriorated.
Conclusion:
We suggest that the current notification system is not working in respect of gastroenteritis and food poisoning, and should be either substantially revised or abandoned.
Related Concept Videos
Bacterial Gastroenteritis
Investigation of Disease Outbreaks
Other Disorders of Digestive System
Transmission-based Precautions I: Contact, Enteric, and Droplets
Contact Precautions:
Contact precautions are the measures taken to prevent the transmission of infectious agents, especially epidemiologically important microorganisms such as MRSA or influenza, primarily transmitted through direct or indirect contact with an...
Gastritis III: Clinical Manifestations and Management
Clinical manifestations of acute gastritis
The patient with acute gastritis may have a rapid onset of symptoms, such as epigastric pain or discomfort, dyspepsia, anorexia, hiccups, or nausea and vomiting, which can last from a few hours to a few days. Erosive or hemorrhagic gastritis may cause bleeding, which may manifest as blood in vomit or as...
Sources of Food Contamination
