Washington State’s New Immunization Law: How Does It Affect You?

.Reading time 8 minutes.

Your back to school routine may look a little different this year. That’s because Washington State recently passed a law removing personal/philosophical exemptions for MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine. The law also requires employees and volunteers at licensed childcare centers to provide immunization records indicating they’ve received the MMR vaccine or have proof of […]

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7 things you should know about bats & rabies

.Reading time 7 minutes.

70% of Americans who die from rabies in the US were infected by bats – CDC Vital Signs As the weather warms up in King County, adult bats come out of hibernation, baby bats are learning to fly, and humans get outdoors, which means a big increase in human-bat interactions compared to other times of year. Bats can be infected […]

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Why testing for lead helps kids…and how you can get free testing

.Reading time 7 minutes.

Lead exposure can harm brain growth in young children, so it’s important for toddlers and preschoolers to be tested for lead if they have any of the risk factors. We’re offering free lead testing at many events this August, and we have a comic strip to explain why testing for lead benefits young children.

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New hepatitis A case in King County matches previous case

.Reading time 11 minutes.

UPDATE (08/14/19): The second of two suspected cases of hepatitis A that we had been tracking has been confirmed by laboratory testing. The current number of King County cases linked to the Washington state outbreak among people living homeless or who use drugs is now four. Any further updates to case counts will be online […]

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