Modern Management of an Ancient Disease

March 23, 2015.Reading time 4 minutes.

What do Eleanor Roosevelt, the Bronte sisters, Franz Kafka, D. H. Lawrence, and Nelson Mandela have in common? How about Mimì, the heroine of Puccini’s opera La Bohème, Satine from Moulin Rouge, and Fantine from Les Mis? They and countless millions others reputedly suffered from tuberculosis, or TB. Typically, but not always a pulmonary illness, […]

Helping Ebola-affected countries from halfway around the world

February 26, 2015.Reading time 5 minutes.

It’s not easy to watch the news every night as a deadly virus rages through your homeland—a place burdened further by the lack of resources and healthcare infrastructure—especially when you’re thousands of miles away. In the face of the Ebola crisis in West Africa, Frank Magass, a native of Guinea and a professional in King […]

New data available to look up immunization levels in your neighborhood

February 6, 2015.Reading time 5 minutes.

Update: 5/22/17: New data are available that show the immunizations levels at schools across King County. According to Libby Page from our Communicable Disease and Immunization program, rates at most schools have stayed stable, with about 17,000 (5.2%) children across the county still not fully protected from vaccine-preventable diseases. Meanwhile, preventable disease outbreaks continue to […]

Q&A on Measles and Travel: It’s a small world after all!

January 30, 2015.Reading time 4 minutes.

In the last month, nearly 100 measles cases have been linked to exposure at Disneyland, prompting concerns from many parents about travel. Lauren Greenfield, RN, and Libby Page, MPH, from our Immunizations program shared their answers to common questions. Q: Is there a risk from measles at Disneyland or California right now? A: If you’re […]

Syphilis Eye Disease caused blindness in two King County residents: Public Health alert for gay and bi men

January 23, 2015.Reading time 2 minutes.

Six people in Washington have been diagnosed with ocular syphilis (syphilis in the eyes) since mid-December, 2014 and four of them here in King County. Two of these individuals are now permanently blind. Syphilitic eye disease can happen in early as well as late stages of infection. Early treatment can prevent permanent damage and one […]

New short video: what you need to know about Ebola

December 17, 2014.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Jeffrey S. Duchin, MD, Chief, Communicable Disease Epidemiology & Immunization Section, Public Health – Seattle & King County recently completed a short interview (under 6 minutes) with KCTV about what we all need to know about Ebola. Watch it here and share it with others: