Possible salmonella case reviewed

GRANT COUNTY — One person in Grant County may have contracted salmonella from peanut butter, the Grant County Health District reported Friday.

The state health department reported four other cases of salmonella in Washington Friday, including two cases in Spokane County. Two additional cases were reported in Okanogan and Wahkiakum counties.

Federal health investigators believed peanut butter to be the cause of the outbreak.

Grant County Health District Administrator Peggy Grigg said the individual in the county was referred to their health care provider Thursday. To diagnose salmonella, a stool sample would need to be sent to a lab, Grigg said. The health district is going to be notified of any identifiable disease detected.

The outbreak is linked to Peter Pan brand peanut butter and some batches of Great Value, a Wal-Mart brand. Batches from both brands were manufactured by ConAgra Foods Inc. at a plant in Georgia. Federal health investigators advised the public to throw away peanut butter with numbers beginning with "2111" on the lid.

"If this peanut butter is found in the home it should be secured so no one eats it," Grigg said. "If no one has symptoms that could be salmonella, it should be discarded."

Symptoms of salmonella include diarrhea, abdominal cramps and vomiting, Grigg said.

In the Spokane area, dozens of residents called their health district to report they became ill after eating peanut butter with "2111" beginning in the product code.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.