The Olympian reports that a local toddler has been hospitalized with E. coli, a bacteria that in severe cases can lead to deadly complications. Samantha Hatcher, 2, became ill during the weekend with bloody diarrhea and is at Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle.
The toddler was stable Thursday, according to a hospital spokeswoman. County health officials reported earlier in the day that she was in critical condition. The county has received no other reports of E. coli.
Officials are investigating how Hatcher became infected, according to County Health Officer Diana Yu. They tested the tap water where the Hatcher family lives and found it clean of the bacteria.
The family doesn’t know how Hatcher got E. coli. The toddler was playing at a pool where there were other children during the weekend.