Salmonella in Redding

Susy Owen

Attorney

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Gaye Coonce, a resident of Redding, discovered that the illness that her family was experiencing after eating peanut butter, was probably not what the doctor has originally suggested. Her family got sick before the current, widespread Salmonella contamination was widely known by the general public. She said that her family had the following symptoms: vomiting, diarrhea, fever, headache and severe stomach cramps. "It's scary," Coonce said. "We thought it was the stomach flu."

The family was not tested for salmonella at the time they were experiencing the symptoms. Accordingly, Shasta County Public Health can't confirm that they actually had it. The Coonce family was treated at Hilltop Medical Clinic when they were ill. At that time the doctor told them it was probably a gastrointestinal virus.

Shasta County Public Health has posted a message on its Web site informing people about the recall. Shasta County Public Health spokeswoman Roxanne Burke said "We're kind of on heightened alert." To date, two peanut butter cases have been confirmed in California, in Orange and San Diego counties.