Public Health has learned that two children in King County have died from complications of the flu. The first child was an elementary-age child who passed away on February 14, 2025. The second was a preschool-age child who passed away on February 21, 2025. These two unconnected cases are the first two recorded pediatric flu deaths this season in King County. King County has not had a pediatric flu death since the 2022-2023 flu season.
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
