Another Hollywood A-lister has been hit with the dreaded food poisoning bug. The beautiful Charlize Theron apparently suffered severe abdominal pains before being taken to hospital by a, very frightened and concerned, boyfriend.

Charlize joins a long list of celebrities that we have spoken about contracting food poisoning – Stephen Fry, Gordon Ramsey, Alexa Chung, Penelope Cruz and Josh Hartnett. So, it just goes to show that it doesn’t matter how much you earn or what high class restaurants you eat in, food poisoning can hit anyone.

Get well soon Miss Theron.

Food hygiene has been in the news a lot recently. Heston Blumenthal took the decision to close his restaurant after a suspected scare (tests later proved inconclusive) and a string of celebrities, Alexa Chung, Stephen Fry and Josh Hartnett, being affected by food poisoning. We thought it would be a good idea to share the facts about the most common food related illness of them all, Salmonella.

For infants, the elderly, people with chronic diseases or immune system deficiencies, Salmonella can be particularly dangerous. The associated bacteria can be found in foods of animal origin, including pork, poultry, milk, eggs, beef and in any food that may have come into contact with infected produce through cross contamination.

If you are unfortunate enough to become infected, symptoms usually start 12 hours to three days after being exposed and can include diarrhoea, fever, abdominal cramps, headache, loss of appetite and vomiting, which can last four to seven days.

Sufferers are advised to drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration, and if symptoms persist or increase in severity then contact your doctor immediately. It is also essential that you inform the establishment where you believe the food poisoning originated from and the local health authorities so the incident can be investigated to avoid anyone else becoming infected.