Returning to work or school

Anyone who has had an E. coli O157 infection should stay away from work or school until they have been completely free of symptoms for 48 hours.

Most people are no longer infectious after about a week, although some people, particularly children, may carry E. coli O157 for several months after they have got better.

Some people need to take special care before returning to work or school:

• If you work in health or social care, or your work involves handling food , you should ask your local authority environmental health officers about when it is safe to return to work. This advice applies to both people who have been infected and those who live in the same household as someone who has.
• If you have a child under five years of age who has had E. coli, or lives with someone who has , you should talk to your GP about when it is safe for your child to return to school or nursery.
• Children under five years of age who have had an E. coli O157 infection should not swim in public swimming pools, or share paddling pools with others , until they have had test results showing that they are no longer an infection risk to others.