Possible rare case of transmission of HIV resistant to Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) medication

March 12, 2018.Reading time 17 minutes.

HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis, better known as PrEP, has changed the lives of many people around the world by providing a way for people who are HIV negative to decrease their risk of acquiring HIV infection. Hundreds of thousands of people globally are currently taking PrEP, including over 6500 people in King County alone. To date, […]

Rising number of homeless deaths reflects increasing numbers of people needing shelter and care

March 5, 2018.Reading time 5 minutes.

If we’re ever asked to consider that we might die someday, most of us probably hope it’s at home or doing something we love. For people experiencing homelessness in King County, 72 percent die in unfortunate public places, ranging from crawl spaces under buildings, to parked cars, to public parks. In 2017, the King County […]

Q&A with Dr. Jeff Duchin: Communicable disease outbreaks show homeless at increased risk

February 28, 2018.Reading time 9 minutes.

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 […]

Love letters to public health

February 14, 2018.Reading time less than 1 minute.

It’s time for our annual public health valentines! These love letters go out to ALL our public health staff and all our partners and colleagues in the field. Send them to the ones you love. Happy Valentine’s Day!!! Originally published on February 14, 2018.

Flu Update: Just how bad has it been in King County?

February 8, 2018.Reading time 8 minutes.

Copious media coverage has described the unusually widespread and severe flu season nationally. But what has it been like in our region? We checked in with Dr. Jeff Duchin, Health Officer and Chief of Communicable Disease Epidemiology and Immunization, to find out the current status of flu locally. What’s happening now and how do you […]

The Food Safety Rating System is one year old!

February 7, 2018.Reading time 8 minutes.

In 2017, King County launched our new food safety rating system with the goal of making it the best rating system in the country. With a year under our belt, Public Health – Seattle & King County’s food safety team is proud to say that the new system has achieved measurable success. Over 75 percent […]

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