Public Health is investigating a case of hantavirus in an adult resident of southeast King County. Hantavirus can cause a rare but deadly disease called Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS). Although we are not aware of an increased risk for hantavirus exposure in King County, it is important that people are aware of the risk and symptoms to watch for and know how to identify and properly respond to rodent infestations. There is no vaccine or specific treatment for HPS, so minimizing exposures to rodents and their nests is key.
Paralytic Shellfish Poison (PSP) has been detected at unsafe levels in Quartermaster Harbor shellfish on Vashon-Maury Island. As a result, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has closed Quartermaster Harbor beaches to recreational shellfish harvest. The closure includes all species of shellfish including clams, geoduck, scallops, mussels, oysters, snails and other invertebrates; the closure […]
This article was originally posted on Right as Rain, the blog by UW Medicine. BY VANESSA RAYMOND If you lived in the Pacific Northwest last summer, you already know what it’s like when forest fire smoke becomes a part of your day to day. There’s that whole weird apocalyptic feeling, but what about its health effects? […]
Temperatures this week are expected to rise into the low 90s, with some humidity. To my friends in Los Angeles and New Mexico, that’s scarcely hot enough to raise an eyebrow. But here in King County, most people don’t have air conditioning, so our local emergency departments see an uptick of people with serious health […]
Public Health is currently responding to increases in several infectious diseases in King County that particularly affect people living homeless. These diseases include group A streptococcal infections, Shigella, and a cluster of serious infections transmitted by body lice called Bartonella quintana. We sat down with Dr. Jeff Duchin, Health Officer and Chief of Communicable Disease […]
Hepatitis A is a liver disease caused by a highly contagious virus. A large outbreak in San Diego, along with outbreaks in Los Angeles and in Salt Lake City has Public Health officials concerned that a hepatitis A outbreak could occur in King County. Dr. Jeff Duchin, King County’s Health Officer, explains who’s at risk […]
