How I spent National Public Health Week

April 13, 2016.Reading time 4 minutes.

By Patty Hayes, Director at Public Health – Seattle & King County Last week we celebrated National Public Health Week, my favorite time of year. As the director of the department, I am steeped in public health on a daily basis, but I am always ready to learn more. I met with different staff – […]

On World TB Day, still plenty of work left despite local successes

March 24, 2016.Reading time 5 minutes.

An X-ray of the chest of a man with tuberculosis. The areas infected with TB bacteria are colored red. Science Photo Library/Corbis

We saw an increase in TB in the United States for the first time in 23 years. In King County, TB isn’t increasing, but our proportion of TB-infected individuals (those who carry a dormant form of TB (“latently-infected”) is higher than Washington’s or any other region in the state.

Required childhood immunizations and vaccine exemptions: The bottom line

March 20, 2016.Reading time 3 minutes.

By Jeff Duchin, MD, Health Officer Media coverage of our recent publication in the journal Pediatrics gave some people the mistaken impression that my colleagues and I want to provide children with a choice to “opt out” of required vaccinations, except for measles vaccine. The fact is that families in Washington currently have the ability […]

Zika quarantine? Our expert weighs in.

February 8, 2016.Reading time 4 minutes.

By Dr. Jeff Duchin, Health Officer and Chief of Communicable Disease Epidemiology & Immunizations Experts are still learning about Zika virus, and in this time of uncertainty, some some are calling for a quarantine on travelers from areas affected by Zika. I don’t think it’s a good idea. Quarantine of travelers exposed to Zika virus is neither […]

Norovirus outbreak investigation in downtown Seattle building (UPDATED)

December 5, 2015.Reading time 6 minutes.

UPDATE 12/9/15 This morning, our food protection program staff re-inspected all of the food establishments in the building and cleared them to re-open. We are requiring the food establishments and building management to use a daily cleaning and sanitation log for the next 14 days. We are not collecting more data on the magnitude of the outbreak at this point. […]

Food poisoning? Or norovirus?

December 4, 2015.Reading time 5 minutes.

“Uh-oh. My little brother just threw up in the hallway.” It’s not an utterance anyone wants to hear from a dinner guest. Fortunately for my reputation as a cook, it was unrelated to the food I served that evening. The child’s apologetic parents later told me that he had norovirus, a common cause of vomiting […]