Official insights from Public Health – Seattle & King County staff
The University of Washington Medical Center (UWMC) has notified Public Health – Seattle & King County of one patient admitted to the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance hospital located at UWMC, was diagnosed with a serious type of pneumonia called Legionnaires’ disease caused by infection with Legionella bacteria. The patient’s medical history suggests that exposure to Legionella happened while hospitalized in […]
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Two King County siblings, both under age 5, have been diagnosed with E. coli 0157:H7 infections that genetically match the ongoing national outbreak linked to romaine lettuce. One child was hospitalized and has since been discharged. Both children have recovered and neither child developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure that can result […]
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A resident of a homeless shelter in Seattle tested positive for bacterial meningitis (meningococcal disease) on March 18. The patient, a man in his 60s, is hospitalized and his condition is improving. The bacteria that causes meningococcal disease spreads through direct contact with infectious saliva or respiratory droplets (e.g. being coughed, sneezed or spit on, […]
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It’s time for our annual public health valentines! These love letters go out to ALL our public health staff and all our partners and colleagues in the field. Send them to the ones you love. Happy Valentine’s Day!!! Originally published on February 14, 2018.
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Copious media coverage has described the unusually widespread and severe flu season nationally. But what has it been like in our region? We checked in with Dr. Jeff Duchin, Health Officer and Chief of Communicable Disease Epidemiology and Immunization, to find out the current status of flu locally. What’s happening now and how do you […]
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This past October, I was part of a team of cartoonists who joined the volunteer force at the 2017 Seattle/King County Clinic to share the stories of the patients who seek the free medical, dental, and vision care at this giant pop-up clinic. We talked to patients as they waited–endlessly waited–for care to learn what […]
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