Norovirus 101

If you’ve been following local news in recent weeks, you may have seen stories about outbreaks of norovirus – a highly contagious virus that causes rapid onset of vomiting and diarrhea. Norovirus is the most common cause of acute, or short-term, gastroenteritis (inflammation of the stomach and intestines) in the country and is responsible for […]

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TB evaluation at Auburn Medical Center

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

An employee at MultiCare Auburn Medical Center who worked in their Family Birth Center was recently diagnosed with active tuberculosis (TB) disease. The employee came into contact with patients and staff during a five-month period in 2019. Public Health – Seattle & King County is providing guidance to MultiCare as they identify and test exposed individuals. The […]

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WASHING CHICKEN SPREADS GERMS

September is National Food Safety Education Month! To celebrate, we sat down with Dr. Eyob Mazengia, who specializes in food safety here at Public Health. We discussed a topic Eyob’s an expert in (he wrote his PhD dissertation on it!) – how to safely handle raw chicken in the home kitchen. Q: Let’s start with […]

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Get FLU-ent in the facts about flu shots

Flu season is nearly here. To help you decide when, where, and how to get vaccinated, we compiled answers to some of the most common questions we see regarding flu vaccinations. Who should get a flu shot? Everyone over 6 months of age should receive a flu vaccine yearly, unless a doctor has advised otherwise. […]

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New measles exposures in Pierce and King Counties

UPDATE (5/17/19): New exposure locations have been identified since this blog was posted on May 12. All exposure locations in King County, including those from previous cases, are updated at kingcounty.gov/measles/cases. Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department and Public Health – Seattle & King County are investigating a measles case with possible exposures in both counties. The […]

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