To keep to the rules, you must recognise signs of illness. This lesson describes what to think of. It does not replace a diagnosis. If you have symptoms, a doctor always decides.
Diarrhoea and vomiting: acute stomach and bowel infections
Contagious stomach and bowel infections include salmonellosis, shigellosis and infections with noroviruses. The typical signs are:
- sudden, contagious diarrhoea,
- often nausea, vomiting and stomach pain,
- sometimes fever.
The information sheets of the health offices (Gesundheitsämter) give as a warning sign diarrhoea with more than two loose stools a day, possibly with nausea, vomiting and fever. With shigella the stool often soon becomes bloody.
The germs often reach food through hands, toilets and objects. Even small amounts can be enough.
Typhoid and paratyphoid fever
These illnesses are rare in Germany, and often involve people returning from abroad. The signs are:
- high fever with severe headache, stomach pain or joint pain,
- often constipation at first,
- severe diarrhoea follows only after some days.
Cholera
Cholera is also rare in Germany and is almost always brought in from abroad. Milky-white diarrhoea with a large loss of fluid is typical. If someone returns from a risk area and shows such signs, they must be seen by a doctor immediately.
Viral hepatitis A and E
These liver infections are often passed on through contaminated food or through the hands. You notice them like this:
- weakness and loss of appetite,
- yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes,
- sometimes nausea or fever beforehand.
You can be contagious even before the yellowing can be seen. That is why it is important to watch for early signs.
Infected wounds and skin diseases
Open or inflamed areas of skin can contain pus-forming germs. Warning signs are wounds or open areas that are
- red,
- coated with a greasy film,
- weeping or
- swollen.
Such areas must not come into contact with food. A simple plaster is not enough if the area is infected.
People who excrete germs
Some people excrete salmonella, shigella, EHEC or cholera vibrios without feeling ill. A doctor can only detect this if a stool sample is tested. If the result is positive, the work ban applies even without symptoms.
What you do if you notice such signs
- Do not go to work with food, or stop work at once.
- Tell your employer (see the next lesson).
- See a doctor and say that you work with food.
- Go back to work only when a doctor has confirmed that there is no longer an obstacle. For people who excrete germs, or if things are unclear, the local health office (Gesundheitsamt) is often involved.
Important
Family members or flatmates who have diarrhoea are also a reason to ask a doctor. If in doubt, ask the Gesundheitsamt.