New cases of measles in King County
NOTE: All exposure locations in King County, including those from previous cases in 2019, are updated at kingcounty.gov/measles/cases. Public Health – Seattle & King County is investigating a new...
View ArticlePublic Health reopens Discovery Park beaches after West Point emergency bypass
Public Health – Seattle & King County on Monday afternoon reopened North and South beaches at Discovery Park. These two beaches were closed Friday in an abundance of caution after a West Point...
View ArticlePublic Health warns King County residents about severe lung disease...
Updated as of September 11, 2019: We have updated this information on September 11, 2019 here. Public Health has confirmed one case of vaping-related severe lung disease. The blog post below was...
View ArticleDeathcap Mushroom Season is here: Mushroom foragers should take extreme care
Watch out, mushroom foragers. Fall rains bring blooms of Amanita phalloides, better known as the death cap mushroom. They are common in Western Washington, and were found recently on the University...
View ArticleData Dive: Non-fatal shooting data available from Public Health
Editorial note: This is our third blog post dedicated to explaining data releases about firearm deaths and injuries in King County and Seattle. You can access our firearm injury data products here....
View ArticleKing County influenza update
Based on monitoring of influenza-like illness levels at King County emergency departments and results of laboratory tests for flu, it looks like this season’s influenza B outbreak has peaked. Even so,...
View ArticleCoronavirus and Quarantine: a Q & A with our Health Officer
Public Health - Seattle & King County Health Officer Jeff Duchin answers questions about the federal quarantine measures. The post Coronavirus and Quarantine: a Q & A with our Health Officer...
View ArticlePlanning for a Novel Coronavirus Outbreak: What You Can Do to Prepare at...
The outbreak of novel coronavirus continues to grow in China and cases have been reported from multiple other countries. Widespread transmission is still limited to China and has not been reported from...
View ArticleMedical Examiner’s Office identifies a man 35 years after his death in a...
After 35 years of wondering, a family finally has answers to what happened to their loved one who had been missing for more than three decades. And the King County Medical Examiner’s Office is finally...
View ArticlePublic Health confirms four new COVID-19 cases, bringing overall total to 14;...
On Sunday, March 1, Executive Constantine signed a Proclamation of Emergency in response to COVID-19, enabling “extraordinary measures” to fight the outbreak, including waiving some procurement...
View ArticleRodents, your car, and hantavirus: What to do if you suspect rodents are...
Here at the Insider, we’ve been talking to Dr. Meagan Kay, Medical Epidemiologist, about the cluster of hantavirus cases that we’ve had in King County over the last several months. Meagan, what is...
View ArticleTuberculosis evaluation at the University of Washington Seattle campus
Public Health – Seattle & King County is following up on a person at the University of Washington Seattle campus who was diagnosed with active tuberculosis (TB). Public Health is working with the...
View ArticlePhthalates in my mac & cheese?
You may have seen the recent news reports in the New York Times about the presence of plasticizer chemicals, known as phthalates, in boxed macaroni and cheese products. Whipped up in minutes, boxed...
View ArticleSpray what? Tips for good hygiene at spray parks
Anyone with a kid – or anyone who was once a child – knows the joy of cooling off in a public spray park on a hot and sticky summer day. They are a great way for pre-swimmers and swimmers alike to have...
View ArticleRABID BAT FOUND AT BALLARD INTERSECTION
A rabid bat was found at the intersection of NW 73rd and 8th Ave NW in the Seattle neighborhood of Ballard on August 22nd. If you had any contact with a bat at this intersection on Tuesday or...
View ArticlePreventing a hepatitis A outbreak in King County
Hepatitis A is a liver disease caused by a highly contagious virus. A large outbreak in San Diego, along with outbreaks in Los Angeles and in Salt Lake City has Public Health officials concerned that a...
View ArticleMore syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia in King County
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are on the rise across the U.S. and Washington and King County data show a similar trend towards more syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia. Bottom line: We need to...
View ArticleAntibiotic resistant gonorrhea found in King County
Antibiotic resistance is a growing concern in the healthcare community. Antibiotic resistance is said to have occurred when an antibiotic loses its ability to effectively kill bacteria. The bacteria...
View ArticleA new population may be at risk for HIV. Here’s why.
Public health focuses HIV prevention activities to those at highest risk. In King County, that has meant decades of intensive work to reduce transmission of HIV among men who have sex with men (MSM),...
View ArticleThe Food Safety Rating System is one year old!
In 2017, King County launched our new food safety rating system with the goal of making it the best rating system in the country. With a year under our belt, Public Health – Seattle & King County’s...
View ArticlePossible rare case of transmission of HIV resistant to Pre-exposure...
HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis, better known as PrEP, has changed the lives of many people around the world by providing a way for people who are HIV negative to decrease their risk of acquiring HIV...
View Article5 things to know about bats and rabies
Public Health Insider has reported on multiple incidents of human/bat interactions this summer – a bat in a park bathroom, a bat at an equestrian center and a bat near Husky Stadium. Statewide,...
View ArticleWorld AIDS Day: An update on HIV in King County
Each year, World AIDS Day is a chance to take note of our successes, on-going challenges and opportunities responding to the HIV epidemic. World AIDS Day this year is December 1st. While the news is...
View ArticleAn update on the increased HIV risk among people who inject drugs in King County
As the Insider reported last summer, there has been an unusual increase in the number of HIV infections among people who inject drugs in King County. A new Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report article...
View ArticleFREE CHILD CAR SEAT CHECKS IN KING COUNTY
Free child car seat check events are happening locally over the next few months for parents, parents-to-be and caregivers. Whether this is your first time installing a car seat in preparation for the...
View ArticleSummer is heating up – and so should your water safety planning
According to climate scientists, chances are it’s going to be a hotter summer than typical across King County. Hot weather brings people out to our region’s lakes, rivers and salt water areas looking...
View ArticleNew report released today indicates HIV outbreak in people who inject drugs...
While the decrease in new cases is welcome news, much can still be done to lower risk for HIV transmission and assure that those who are HIV-positive are able to live healthy lives. Early diagnosis is...
View ArticleAs Drowning Deaths Doubled in King County in 2020, Water Safety Is More...
With hot summer days comes an increased desire to cool off in the region’s pools, beaches, rivers, and lakes. But in 2020, as the Covid-19 pandemic pushed more people towards outdoor activities, King...
View ArticleNew Public Health recommendations make a syphilis test routine for women 45...
There has been a nearly 5-fold increase in syphilis in cisgender women since 2015 (cisgender means one’s gender identity corresponds to one’s sex assigned at birth). All sexually active women 45 and...
View ArticleControlling an emerging fungal threat: The Partners for Patient Safety program
A new program underway in King County is aimed at early identification of a multi-drug resistant fungus called Candida auris or C. auris. The goal of the program is to mitigate the spread of these...
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