The start of spring and the onset of warmer conditions traditionally mark the time of year that foodborne illness increases.

If you have been sick with gastroenteritis and you think it has been caused by food Hunter New England Health would like to hear from you.

Public Health Physician Dr Tony Merritt said that consumers play an important role in the identification and investigation of outbreaks of foodborne illness.

‘Hospitals, general practitioners and laboratories notify us of outbreaks of foodborne disease when they see ill patients. However this represents only the tip of the iceberg, as not everyone with a foodborne disease gets hospitalised or visits their GP," Dr Merritt said.

"We recommend that if two or more people become ill with symptoms of gastroenteritis, after sharing a common meal, they report their illness to Hunter New England Population Health for further investigation.

"Diarrhoea is the most important symptom of foodborne diseases, although other symptoms including abdominal cramps, vomiting, fever and headache may occur.

Symptoms generally last for three to five days, although some foodborne diseases can cause a more severe illness lasting for 10 or more days".

Dr Merritt emphasised that although it is commonly believed that food poisoning occurs only after eating food from commercially food premises, this is not the case.

"We are finding that an increasingly large proportion of people are becoming ill after consuming contaminated food in the home.

Although sometimes this may have been caused by poor food handling in the home, it may also be due to a specific food product in the general food supply being contaminated with foodborne disease micro-organisms."

Reporting suspected foodborne illness assists authorities in understanding the cause and preventing future outbreaks.

Members of the public who suspect they have a food-borne illness are advised to contact Hunter New England Population Health on 02 4924 6477.