King County among the first in the nation to achieve a global milestone in the fight against HIV/AIDS

February 9, 2017.Reading time 4 minutes.

King County is among the first major metropolitan regions in the United States – and possibly the first – to reach a major milestone set by the World Health Organization in the fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic. A broad partnership led by Public Health – Seattle & King County achieved what is known as the 90-90-90 […]

TB evaluation at Harborview Medical Center

January 26, 2017.Reading time 5 minutes.

An X-ray of the chest of a man with tuberculosis. The areas infected with TB bacteria are colored red. Science Photo Library/Corbis

A patient at Harborview Medical Center (HMC) in Seattle was recently diagnosed with active tuberculosis (TB). The patient potentially came into contact with other patients and staff on three different occasions between mid-December and January 20. Public Health – Seattle & King County has been notified, and is providing guidance to HMC as they identify and screen […]

TB evaluation at Hazen High School

January 12, 2017.Reading time 5 minutes.

Public Health – Seattle & King County is following up on the report of a Hazen High School community member who was diagnosed with active tuberculosis (TB). Public Health is working with the high school and Renton School District officials to define the extent of any potential TB exposures, conduct screenings for those exposed, and provide guidance and information […]

Emerging mumps outbreak in King County

January 10, 2017.Reading time 7 minutes.

UPDATE (1/13/17) Current mumps case counts in King County are now available on Public Health’s website. The case counts are updated on weekdays after 3 pm (except on government holidays). Mumps cases for the entire state are reported on the Washington State Department of Health’s website. HIGHLIGHTS FROM PREVIOUS UPDATES: For more information about why vaccinated […]

Spike in King County flu cases

January 3, 2017.Reading time 6 minutes.

Influenza is hitting hard in King County. We caught up with Dr. Jeff Duchin, Health Officer for Public Health – Seattle & King County, to get his take on the flu season so far. What kind of levels of flu are you seeing in King County right now? Over the past two weeks we’ve seen […]

Mumps Outbreaks: Why Do we Care and Is the Vaccine Working?

December 5, 2016.Reading time 6 minutes.

By Jeff Duchin, Health Officer, Public Health – Seattle & King County Learn about the on-going mumps outbreak in King County. Why do we care about mumps? Mumps causes painful swelling of the salivary glands in the cheek and jaw area that usually lasts for 1-2 weeks. Complications of mumps include inflammation of the testes […]