No More Toilet Backups: My Journey from Septic to Sewer

.Reading time 7 minutes.
A dad rushes to the bathroom with a plunger as a child gestures to an overflowing toilet. A teenager holds her nose.

Anyone who has had a toilet back-up knows that it’s a household crisis! This animated short shows how stressful a septic system failure can be through the eyes of a dad who is worried about the cost. He finds out from his neighbor that King County’s health department can help connect him to financial assistance to move to sewer.

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Public Health – Seattle & King County monitoring a fourth King County resident connected to cruise ship hantavirus outbreak

.Reading time 4 minutes.
A line drawing of a cruise ship and an airplane Un dibujo lineal de un crucero y un avión.

Public Health – Seattle & King County was notified on 5/14/26 of an additional King County resident that was on the same plane as an ill passenger from the MV Hondius cruise ship announced on Tuesday, 5/12/26. The King County resident is considered at low risk for infection because they were not seated near the ill passenger. This resident is asymptomatic and monitoring for symptoms.  

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Three King County residents connected to international cruise ship in public health monitoring for hantavirus 

.Reading time 4 minutes.
Ilustración de un crucero navegando frente a un paisaje montañoso.

Public Health – Seattle & King County has been notified about three King County residents who were potentially exposed to hantavirus linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship. All three are asymptomatic and monitoring for symptoms, in coordination with public health officials. There are no cases of hantavirus in King County at this time.

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What’s the risk of hantavirus in King County?

.Reading time 11 minutes.
Two deer mice with brown fur and white bellies

Hantavirus is in the news with the cruise ship outbreak, but this type of hantavirus is a low risk for people in King County. A public health veterinarian explains why, and also gives advice based on the few cases of hantavirus ever found in the King County.

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Alongside people during vital life moments: Portraits of Public Health

.Reading time 4 minutes.
A smiling woman with black hair and brown skin, wearing a tan blazer and hoop earrings, with a orange background.

Birth and death are some of life’s most meaningful and complex moments, and for nearly two decades in Public Health – Seattle & King County’s Vital Records, Robbie has been supporting community members through the process of gathering and filing records for these momentous events.

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