*Ban from certain occupational activities

The German Infection Protection Act states that no one with symptoms that indicate one of the following illnesses or that have been diagnosed by a doctor may come into contact with food:

  • Acute infectious gastroenteritis (sudden onset of infectious diarrhoea) triggered by salmonellae, shigella, cholera bacteria
  • Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli
  • Vibrio cholerae
  • Typhus or paratyphoid
  • Viral hepatitis A or E (liver inflammation)
  • You have infected wounds or a skin condition that may allow pathogens to be transmitted to other people via food.

The following symptoms are an indication of these conditions

  • Diarrhoea with more than two loose stools per day, nausea, vomiting and fever.
  • A high fever with severe headaches, abdominal pains or joint aches and constipation (followed by severe diarrhoea a few days later) are signs of typhus and paratyphoid.
  • Milky white diarrhoea with a loss of large amounts of fluids are typical of cholera.
  • Yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes with a feeling of weakness and loss of appetite indicate hepatitis A or E.
  • Wounds or open lesions from skin diseases may be infected if they are red, oozing, weeping or swollen.

If the symptoms above occur, food handlers should consult their GP or company doctor and mention that they work with food. In addition, individuals who handle food are also obliged to immediately inform their supervisor that they cannot handle food for the duration of the illness. Violations will be prosecuted as an administrative offence or criminal offence.