Across the Valley people are checking peanut butter jars for a certain code and wondering if they have been exposed to salmonella.

Although jars of the potentially contaminated food have been found locally, no instances of salmonella have been reported, according to Halifax and Northampton county health officials.

Halifax Regional Medical Center wants people to know they do not need to go to the emergency room if they have eaten some of the peanut butter brands linked to salmonella.

“The only time one would need health care follow-up is if they have symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, vomiting and fever that do not resolve in a couple of days,” said Susan Bullock, infection control nurse at Halifax Regional.

“Of course, if dehydration is of concern, then medical care should be sought for that. Otherwise, people do not need to come to the emergency room that may have eaten the peanut butter in question.”

Meanwhile, the Halifax County Health Department sent out a memo Friday that if people are currently sick and have either brand of peanut butter - Peter Pan or Great Value - and it has a product code that begins with 2111, they should contact their physician and seek medical help.

“The state also wants people to bring in these jars of peanut butter to their local health department,” the memo said.

In Halifax County, people can bring the jars to the Environmental Health office within the health department building in Halifax. “We will write their name and address on the label and put it on the jar in case it gets sent to the state lab for testing. The jar will not be returned to the person,” the memo states.

Friday, the Northampton County Health Department was busy working to notify the public of the salmonella threat and the on-going instances of stomach flu, Director Sue Gay said.

The county notified all day care centers, senior centers, assisted living and nursing homes, Smart Start and the schools.

With the help of Northampton County Schools, an explanation of the salmonella threat and its connection to possibly contaminated peanut butter was posted on the school district's Internet system for parents and students.

The Northampton County Health Department has received numerous calls from people concerned about the illness.

If an individual is displaying symptoms of either salmonella or the stomach flu they are encouraged to contact their doctor and follow directions carefully and completely.

Nationwide problem

This is the first U.S. salmonella outbreak linked to peanut butter, the Associated Press reported. Peter Pan and Wal-Mart's Great Value house brand are both manufactured by ConAgra Foods Inc. Nearly 300 people in 39 states have fallen ill since August.

How the dangerous germ got into the peanut butter is still not clear. Because peanuts are usually heated to high, germ-killing temperatures during the manufacturing process, government and industry officials said the contamination may have been caused by dirty jars or equipment, the AP reported.

Salmonella sickens about 40,000 people a year in the U.S. and kills about 600. It can cause diarrhea, fever, dehydration, abdominal pain and vomiting.

Most cases of salmonella poisoning are caused by undercooked eggs and chicken. The only known salmonella outbreak in peanut butter - in Australia during the mid-1990s - was blamed on unsanitary plant conditions.

An estimated 974 million pounds of peanut butter are sold each year in the U.S., and peanut butter and jelly is the most popular sandwich among children.

Peter Pan is one of the nation's top three brands, though well behind market leader Jif.

The outbreak was detected by the CDC and state health agencies when they noticed spikes in the cases of people sickened by an unusual type of salmonella, starting in August. Once peanut butter emerged as a link, the CDC notified the FDA.