Follow our advice on what you can do to reduce your risk of becoming ill with norovirus, hepatitis A and hepatitis E
Viruses are very small and are highly contagious agents which cause disease. Some viruses can survive and remain infectious in foods and the environment for long periods of time. They can also survive harsh conditions. Foodborne viruses make up an estimated 18% of the UK’s food poisoning cases.
There are three viruses of primary concern in food safety: norovirus, hepatitis A and hepatitis E.
Norovirus is also known as the winter vomiting disease. It’s the most common stomach bug in the UK and is highly infectious.
The virus is easily spread from person-to-person and outbreaks are common in settings such as care homes, schools, nurseries, hotels and cruise ships. However, norovirus infection can also happen by eating food which has been grown in or treated with contaminated water (e.g. shellfish or fresh produce) or by infected food handlers. The true contribution made by food to the rates of norovirus infection in Scotland is currently unknown.
Symptoms of norovirus include vomiting, projectile vomiting, diarrhoea and fever. The virus usually causes mild symptoms and lasts for 1 to 2 days with most people making a full recovery.
However, the virus can be dangerous for:
The best way to prevent the spread of norovirus is through good hand hygiene. Wash hands thoroughly using soap and warm water and dry them thoroughly. Don’t rely on alcohol hand gels as they don’t kill norovirus.
If you have norovirus, it’s important to stay off school or work (especially if you're a food handler) until the symptoms have stopped for 2 days. This will help avoid spreading norovirus to others.
What is hepatitis A?
Hepatitis A is an infection of the liver caused by the hepatitis A virus (also known as HAV). It’s spread by the faeces of an infected person. It causes a range of illness from mild symptoms including nausea, vomiting and fever through to hepatitis (e.g. liver inflammation, jaundice) and rarely liver failure.
Hepatitis can be unpleasant, but it’s not usually serious, and most people make a full recovery within a couple of months. Those most at risk are:
Infection is followed by lifelong immunity.
You can get hepatitis A infection from:
Symptoms of hepatitis A develop around 4 weeks after becoming infected but will usually pass within a couple of months.
Symptoms can include:
Someone with hepatitis A is most infectious from around 2 weeks before their symptoms appear until about a week after the symptoms first appear.
To avoid spread from person to person, follow good hygiene measures such as washing your hands with soap and warm water regularly. Stay off school or work (especially if you are a food handler) until at least a week after the symptoms first started.
Important steps to reduce your risk at home include:
Hepatitis E virus is also known as HEV and it causes hepatitis E infection. Both humans and animals can be infected by HEV. The virus is mainly associated with eating raw or undercooked pork meat or offal, but also eating wild boar meat, venison and shellfish.
Most people experience mild symptoms which clear up within 4 weeks and therefore don’t require any treatment. However, in rare cases the disease can be serious, especially for those who have a weakened immune system.
The risk of infection from hepatitis E virus is low if pork and pork products are thoroughly cooked. We know that thorough cooking kills bacteria and viruses. Therefore, it’s advised that whole cuts of pork, pork products and offal should be thoroughly cooked until the thickest part of the meat reaches at least 75°C with a food thermometer. If you don't have a food thermometer, make sure:
It’s also important to remember to:
