Norovirus 101

January 3, 2020.Reading time 8 minutes.

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 […]

The Public Health Notebook: 2019 in Snapshots

December 31, 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

At the close of the year, we look back with pride on just a fraction of the activities in our health department in 2019. Thank you to all of our dedicated staff. We wish we could have included everything you do to make King County a healthier place! Wishing everyone a warm, healthy and happy […]

Public Health Crafter’s Corner: Last-minute DIY gifts

December 20, 2019.Reading time 4 minutes.

During this festive month, are you in a pinch for gifts for all those parties and get-togethers? Fortunately, we have some DIY ideas that will express “I care” and also announce “I am really, really craftsy!” So let’s get started. Bedazzled hand sanitizer bottle Any party host will appreciate this glamorous and practical gift! Truly, […]

TB evaluation at Boeing Renton facility

December 18, 2019.Reading time 6 minutes.

A worker at the Boeing Renton facility was recently diagnosed with active tuberculosis (TB) disease. The worker had contact with six workers who require testing as a precaution to rule out TB infection. The risk for TB spreading to anyone who came into contact with the worker is low. TB is not easy to spread TB is an […]

Pediatric flu death reported in King County

December 18, 2019.Reading time 6 minutes.

Public Health has learned that an elementary-school-aged child in King County has died from complications of influenza. The child was previously healthy and died on December 15th in a Pierce County hospital. This is the first reported flu death in a child in King County since the last reported pediatric death in 2009. There have […]

What we know about nicotine in electronic cigarettes

December 16, 2019.Reading time 6 minutes.

Over the past several years, electronic cigarette use has grown in popularity as an alternative to smoking combustible cigarettes. While this switch does protect individuals from the dangers of combustion, vaping and e-cigarette use has other risks – including nicotine dependency and lung injury.

PUBLIC HEALTH INSIDER