Food poisoning
Don't reach for anti-diarrhoeals automatically — the body may be flushing out the bacteria.
The signs
Hours to days after eating:
- Vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain
- Fever, chills
- Muscle aches, weakness
What you can do at home
- Sip fluids little and often — electrolyte drinks and thin rice porridge work well.
- Don't force food; when settled, start with soft foods.
- Wash hands often so it doesn't spread to family.
- Discard the food in question and note what you suspect.
- Don't take anti-diarrhoeals on your own — in some cases they slow recovery.
When to go to hospital
- Blood in the stool, or black stool
- Persistent high fever
- Severe dehydration — almost no urine, dizziness, dry mouth
- Symptoms lasting several days
- Infants, older people, pregnant women and the chronically ill should go sooner
- Clouded consciousness means 119
Prevention
- Wash hands, cook thoroughly, boil drinking water
- Never leave food out in summer — refrigerate promptly after cooking.
- Separate knives and boards for raw and cooked.
- Check use-by dates; discard anything that smells or looks wrong.
Where to go
- A nearby internal medicine clinic or A&E
- 119 (reduced consciousness, severe dehydration)
- 1339 Korea Disease Control Agency
- 1399 report unsafe food
Questions people ask
I fell ill after eating at a restaurant. Get it on your medical record and you can report to 1399. Check whether others who ate the same dish are ill, and keep the receipt.
Several colleagues are ill after the works canteen. Possible mass food poisoning. Report to the public health centre and get treated.
Can I just buy something at the pharmacy? For mild cases yes, but bloody stool, high fever or dehydration mean hospital. See otc-medicine.
Should I stay off work? If you cook, serve food or provide care, stay off until recovered — you can pass it on. See sick-note-work.
Take care
Dehydration advances quickly in the very young and the elderly. Listlessness and reduced urine mean immediate care. Taking anti-diarrhoeals or antibiotics on your own can worsen the course — always consult a doctor or pharmacist.
Related
poisoning · otc-medicine · cold-flu · first-aid-basics · sick-note-work
Source
Ministry of Food and Drug Safety www.mfds.go.kr / As of 2026-08