6 ways you can improve the public’s health

January 11, 2016.Reading time less than 1 minute.

This time of year people are quick to adopt personal health and fitness goals. But have you considered making a public health resolution for 2016? Here are some ideas for what you can do in 2016 for the good of the public’s health and safety. And hey, they’re also good for you too.

Hep Savvy: All baby boomers should get screened for Hepatitis C

December 21, 2015.Reading time 10 minutes.

UPDATED 5/18/17: Most people with chronic hepatitis don’t know they are infected. Getting tested before symptoms develop can prevent chronic liver disease, like cirrohosis, liver failure, and cancer. CDC guidelines recommend Hep C testing for all people born between 1945 and 1965. There are now more types of Hep C medications, and access to treatment […]

Foodborne illness investigation underway: A third case of ice cream-related Listeria in 12 months

December 9, 2015.Reading time 14 minutes.

Public Health is investigating a case of Listeria infection that is linked to two cases identified last year. In all three cases the patients with highly weakened immune systems consumed milkshakes at the University of Washington Medical Center (UWMC) while hospitalized. In the previous two cases identified in 2014, the individuals consumed milk shakes made […]

Norovirus outbreak investigation in downtown Seattle building (UPDATED)

December 5, 2015.Reading time 6 minutes.

UPDATE 12/9/15 This morning, our food protection program staff re-inspected all of the food establishments in the building and cleared them to re-open. We are requiring the food establishments and building management to use a daily cleaning and sanitation log for the next 14 days. We are not collecting more data on the magnitude of the outbreak at this point. […]

Food poisoning? Or norovirus?

December 4, 2015.Reading time 5 minutes.

“Uh-oh. My little brother just threw up in the hallway.” It’s not an utterance anyone wants to hear from a dinner guest. Fortunately for my reputation as a cook, it was unrelated to the food I served that evening. The child’s apologetic parents later told me that he had norovirus, a common cause of vomiting […]

You heard it here first: Changing our food borne illness public notification process

November 13, 2015.Reading time 8 minutes.

Since June, we’ve written in this space about a spate of food borne illness outbreaks that have kept all hands on deck here at Public Health – Seattle & King County and at times across the state – the salmonella outbreak connected to pork from Kapowsin’s slaughterhouse, the E. coli O157 outbreak linked to food […]