Official insights from Public Health – Seattle & King County staff
School’s about more than math quizzes and book reports. It’s where kids go to play, grow, and build community. But where kids thrive, so do germs. Enter: vaccinations! Vaccinations are the body’s practice test for diseases like measles and whooping cough. That way, if the real thing shows up, kids’ immune systems know exactly what to do.
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A national outbreak of Cyclospora—more commonly known by its main symptom, explosive diarrhea–continues to grow, but here in King County, we have not seen any unexpected increases in cyclosporiasis (the disease caused by Cyclospora) so far. We talked with Ann Shen, the lead for foodborne and enteric disease investigations for Public Health – Seattle & King County, about the local situation.
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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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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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Public Health – Seattle & King County is informing the community of a confirmed measles case in a King County infant who may have exposed others to the measles virus.
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In 2025, there were 33 cases of Legionella infections among King County residents compared to 8 cases in 2005. But there is good news: Legionnaires’ disease is preventable!
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