A nationwide E. coli outbreak has made its way to Island County.

On Sunday, a Whidbey Island woman was admitted to the emergency room with severe diarrhea, according to Island County Health Officer Roger Case. A stool sample sent to the state revealed a genetic code similar to the one sparking a national outbreak that has spread through packaged food products containing spinach.

The Oak Harbor woman denied having eaten spinach, but said she ate mixed salad with her family, who were reportedly unaffected. An out-of-state relative of the victim had suffered similar symptoms roughly one week before arriving on Whidbey, leading to speculation that the infection was secondary, or “hand-to-mouth.”

“No other individuals in Island County have been identified as having similar symptoms, nor is there any reason to suspect that local produce may be affected,” Case said. “However, the precaution still stands to avoid any fresh spinach product until the present situation is resolved.”

The woman was treated at Whidbey General Hospital in Coupeville and released later in the day.

To date, 114 cases of E. coli-related infection have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including 18 cases of Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, 60 hospitalizations, and one death. Twenty-one states have confirmed cases, including Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and California. The other known case in Washington was found in Longview.

The first illness connected to the outbreak was reported on Aug. 2, although most illnesses were reported between Aug. 26 and Sept. 9.

On Sept. 15, Natural Selections Foods of San Juan Bautista, Calif. announced a recall of all of its products containing spinach in every brand they packed with “Best if used” dates of Aug. 17 through Oct. 1. Two days later, River Ranch of Salinas, Calif. announced a recall of packages of its spring mix containing spinach. The company obtained its products from Natural Selections.

Locally, grocers have heeded the warning, quickly disposing of bagged salad products containing spinach. At Safeway, the order came down from corporate to dispose of all spinach, including fresh spinach and even seafood stuffing containing spinach.

Although the Food and Drug Administration’s advisement did not require the lengths to which Safeway voluntarily went, acting produce manager Mark Mitchell at the Oak Harbor store said no spinach was spared.

“We do not take chances with our customers, because they are our number one priority,” Mitchell said, acknowledging the substantial lost revenue and adding that he hoped other stores would be able to recover from the hit.

Jack Petosa, Prairie Center Red Apple Market store manager, also pulled the fresh spinach, along with the packaged products.

“We pulled all spinach, period,” the Coupeville store manager said. “It’s not worth taking a chance. We probably won’t be reimbursed, but that’s fine.”

Albertsons has similarly removed the potentially tainted vegetables from the produce racks.

“All bagged and fresh spinach has been pulled from Albertsons stores,” said Donna Eggers, Albertsons Intermountain West Division communications manager. “We do not currently sell any fresh deli salads that contain spinach, so those products were not impacted.”

Saar’s Market Place Food and Drug has continued to stock fresh, bundled spinach, although a produce clerk said the leafy green vegetable isn’t exactly jumping off the shelves.

“It’s perfectly good, but everybody is scared to buy it,” the clerk said. The packaged spinach at Saar’s, as per the FDA’s advisement, quickly went the way of the dodo just as it did at grocery stores elsewhere on the island.

Drew Falkenstein, an attorney with the Seattle law firm Marler Clark, said his company already represents 30 people and the number is growing fast.

“We’ve been contacted by another 10 to 20,” he said. “Of the 30 who we represent, 10 have developed Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome and many more were hospitalized.”

The striking feature of the current outbreak is its size, the attorney said, but he hopes the incident will also serve as a wake-up call for the produce industry.

“This is the 20th outbreak since 1995 caused by fresh lettuce or spinach, including last year’s Dole lettuce outbreak, and that’s about 20 too many,” Falkenstein said.

E. coli O157:H7 is a bacterium that leads to diarrhea often containing blood, according to the FDA Web site. The diarrhea can be accompanied by abdominal cramps, but fever may be absent or mild. Symptoms usually occur within two to three days following exposure, but may occur as soon as one day, or up to one week. Healthy adults can typically recover completely from the exposure within a week. However, some people, especially young children and the elderly, can develop Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome as a result of exposure to the bacterium, a condition that can lead to serious kidney damage and even death.

“This needs to stop – we’ve got the technology and the know-how,” Falkenstein said. “If it doesn’t, then many more will die, and many more children will face millions in medical costs over the course of their lifetimes for transplanted kidneys and other things.”