According to the Afsca, the possible symptoms of salmonellosis foodborne infection are fever, abdominal cramps and diarrhea within 6 to 72 hours of eating the infected food. Young children, pregnant women, immunocompromised people and the elderly are more likely to develop symptoms.
Infectious disease specialist Yves Van Laethem from CHU Saint-Pierre is more nuanced. “You can have salmonellosis without having a fever, or you can have a very mild fever,” he says.
►► But he still warns on one point: “In more fragile people, beware of sepsis”
But there is a treatment: the antibiotic! In case of fever, you should consult your doctor. If the person is frail, the doctor will most likely send him to the hospital where he will receive a strong antibiotic intravenously.
►► What should a non-frail patient with salmonellosis do? The advice of doctor Van Laethem.