No Cases Of E. Coli Linked To Spinach Reported In Oklahoma

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- No E. coli cases linked to a national outbreak involving bagged spinach have been discovered in Oklahoma, health officials said Friday.<br/><br/>One person died and dozens of others

Friday, September 15th 2006, 1:04 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- No E. coli cases linked to a national outbreak involving bagged spinach have been discovered in Oklahoma, health officials said Friday.

One person died and dozens of others have been sickened in the 10-state outbreak.

Laurence Burnsed, interim director of the Oklahoma Health Department's communicable disease division, said Oklahoma averages 27 E. coli cases a year. This year the state has had 29 cases.

The sometimes-deadly bacteria is present in fecal material from cattle. It is sometimes transmitted in undercooked ground beef, but has also been associated with some vegetables. The health department recommends thoroughly cooking ground beef and washing vegetables

The FDA warned people not to eat bagged spinach and said washing it wouldn't solve the problem because the bacteria are too tightly attached.