Food poisoning can strike out of nowhere, and cause severe symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, loss of appetite, stomach cramping and fatigue. Symptoms can appear very suddenly, and often occur a day or two after consuming contaminated food, which can make it difficult to diagnose at first. Although food poisoning can be intense, and it can affect multiple people who ate at the same place, food poisoning is not contagious. Keep reading to learn more about what causes food poisoning, symptoms of food poisoning, and treatment options.
If you’re feeling sick, don’t ignore your symptoms. Nausea and vomiting can quickly lead to complications like severe dehydration. At AFC Urgent Care Centennial, our walk-in urgent care clinic in Centennial, Colorado, offers rapid same-day care for a variety of common illness symptoms. Simply walk in when it’s convenient, or save your spot in advance online below.
Save Your SpotWhat is Food Poisoning?
Food poisoning happens when your food is exposed to a virus or bacteria. This commonly happens when food is left in the fridge too long, not stored properly, or is exposed to something during production. When you consume spoiled food or drinks that have been contaminated with a pathogen, your body tries to flush the pathogen out of your system, which causes you to get very sick.
Is Food Poisoning Contagious?
Food poisoning itself is not contagious. However, some of the pathogens that cause food poisoning can be contagious. For example, if your food is contaminated with norovirus or salmonella, these pathogens can spread through sharing food or drinks with someone who is sick or lingering germs on surfaces. So while you don’t “catch” food poisoning the same way you catch a cold, you can catch the virus or bacteria responsible for it if proper hygiene isn’t followed. If you’re sick with food poisoning, it is safest to avoid others.
Symptoms of Food Poisoning
Food poisoning symptoms are notoriously unpleasant. However, they typically only last 1-2 days. Dehydration is the most common complication associated with food poisoning, so it is important to monitor how much water you drink to avoid becoming too dehydrated.
Common symptoms of food poisoning include:
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Stomach cramps
- Body aches
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea
Visit AFC Urgent Care Centennial for Rapid Illness Care on a Walk-In Basis
Food poisoning symptoms can be very intense, however, they usually resolve within a day or two. If your symptoms are severe, or are not getting better after 2 days, it’s time to visit urgent care. At AFC Urgent Care Centennial, our team of board-certified medical providers is available to provide prompt symptom relief, all on a walk-in basis.
We accept most major medical insurance plans, and have affordable rates for patients paying out-of-pocket for their medical care. We have short wait times, and never require patients to schedule an appointment in advance. Simply walk in for convenient care, we’re open 7 days a week! To learn more about the conditions we treat, give us a call at (303) 220-9168.
