Snohomish County Archives - Page 6 of 6

EMPOWER emergency preparedness fair, April 20

Educational event for the general public, communities of color, vulnerable populations

& emergency responders features speakers, food, displays

Source: Snohomish County health District

SNOHOMISH COUNTY, Wash. – Culture, ability, and language can make a huge difference in preparing for and responding to emergencies. The EMPOWER emergency preparedness fair will break down the barriers through a day of presentations, information sharing, resource tables, and demonstrations, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Sat., April 20 at Everett Station, 3201 Smith Ave., Everett.

The event is free and open to the public, and includes complimentary continental breakfast and lunch. Walk-ins are welcome or you can register at Brown Paper Tickets.

The day will have two educational tracks: One for community residents to learn more about being prepared for emergencies, and another for emergency responders to learn ways to respond more effectively to a diverse community.

“This fair is for people who want to learn more about getting prepared for earthquakes, storms, and other disasters,” said Therese Quinn, event organizer and Medical Reserve Corps coordinator. “It is also for emergency responders and planners who want to learn more about working with vulnerable populations.”

Morning presentations follow a welcome by Snohomish County Sheriff John Lovick.

The emergency responder track will hear a hands-on diversity panel discuss “What you need to know when you respond in my community.” Panelists will include individuals from the Iraqi and Latino communities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. The panel discussion will be followed by speaker Conrad Kuehn from the Northwest ADA Center, presenting “Disability Language and Etiquette.”

The community education track includes a presentation on how to prepare for an emergency and make an emergency kit. Following the kit demonstration, a panel will discuss the mission of emergency responders as public safety — and not immigration enforcement. Panelists include Dave Alcorta, Red Cross; Sgt. Manny Garcia, Everett Police Department; and John Pennington, Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management.

The lunchtime keynote speaker will be National Fire Academy Instructor Leslie Olson, who will talk about the importance of cross-cultural communication.

All presentations and the lunch keynote speech will be interpreted into Spanish and translated by Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) for the deaf and hard of hearing.

The event is the result of community partnership among Snohomish Health District, Tulalip Tribes, Fire District 1, Starbucks, Communities of Color Coalition, Snohomish County Emergency Management, Medical Reserve Corps, Puget Sound Energy, City of Everett, and South Everett Neighborhood Center.

Established in 1959, the Snohomish Health District works for a safer and healthier Snohomish County through disease prevention, health promotion, and protection from environmental threats. Find more information about the Health Board and the Health District at http://www.snohd.org.

County districts will wait and see on charter schools

By Jerry Cornfield, The Herald

We’re getting a clearer idea this week of where Washington’s first charter schools may open, and it’s not likely to be Snohomish County.

A dozen school districts from Sequim to Spokane and Tacoma to Port Townsend told the state Board of Education they’re want to be able to authorize and oversee these publicly funded, privately managed schools.

Though each must still turn in applications, these 12 districts are signaling a desire to get in on the ground floor of this newest venture in education.

None of them is in Snohomish County where 53 percent of the voters backed Initiative 1240 last November even as it seemed like 100 percent of teachers and school board directors did not.

In the county’s larger districts, school leaders are taking a wait-and-see attitude knowing full well they can apply later to become an authorizer. There is concern about time and energy required for overseeing a charter school and the possibility a legal challenge will be filed to delay or derail the law.

“As a board, we discussed charter schools during the election season, and post election, and decided to hold off putting in an application to become an authorizer this year,” said Ann McMurray, president of the Edmonds school board. “We’ll watch to see the experience of other districts in the state.”

Marysville School Board publicly opposed the initiative, and its directors haven’t softened their stand in the five months since the election.

Board president Chris Nation said there are innovative schools in the district, such as the Tenth Street Middle School, which offers a music-based curriculum to 180 students in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades.

“It is not something we pursued or are interested in at this particular time,” he said.

Directors of the Everett Public Schools had not discussed the matter before Monday’s deadline for getting into the initial round.

“We have not had that conversation. We don’t intend to have that conversation in the near future,” said board president Jeff Russell, adding it could come up during planning sessions in August.

All three presidents said administrators and teachers are consumed with mandates to deploy evaluation processes for teachers and principals and implementing new standards in English and math known as Common Core.

“These have a huge and immediate impact on our school community,” McMurray said.

But, Nation said, if somebody did launch a charter school in the district “we would wholeheartedly support them.”

The nine people who could make that happen are on the state Charter School Commission, which meets for the first time today in Olympia.

These are political appointees — three each from the governor, speaker of the House and Senate president — who embrace charter schools and are empowered to authorize them anywhere in the state.

The commission will be competing for business with the school districts as the law only allows up to eight schools a year and a maximum of 40 over five years.

Even if school districts in Snohomish County aren’t rushing to ride the first wave, commissioners might be so inclined if the right charter comes its way.

Vietnam vets get the recognition they deserve

By Julie Muhlstein, The Herald

Photo courtesy of Rep. John McCoyRep. John McCoy, D-Tulalip, during his Air Force duty in the 1960s. During the 1968 Tet Offensive, McCoy was stationed at Clark Air Base in the Philippines, a major supply base for U.S. forces in the Vietnam War. — Photo courtesy of Rep. John McCoy
Rep. John McCoy, D-Tulalip, during his Air Force duty in the 1960s. During the 1968 Tet Offensive, McCoy was stationed at Clark Air Base in the Philippines, a major supply base for U.S. forces in the Vietnam War.

There was no heroes’ welcome. When Tim McDonald and other Americans returned from their Vietnam War duty, they were ignored or worse.

“Many Vietnam veterans, myself included, we didn’t feel the support of the nation at all,” he said Thursday.

McDonald, 65, was in the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division. He was in Vietnam in 1970 and 1971.

It was 40 years ago today — March 29, 1973 — that the last U.S. combat troops left South Vietnam, officially ending direct American military involvement in the Vietnam War. Two years later, in 1975, the Saigon government fell.

McDonald lives on Whidbey Island. He is retiring today from his job as director of the Snohomish Health District’s communicable disease control division. Not only does the Vietnam War seem like ages ago, he said, “it seems like an entire separate universe.”

One major difference between then and now is the honor accorded servicemen and women returning from war. Today, Americans are united in our gratitude for veterans’ military service.

During the Vietnam War era, that wasn’t so. Troops came home to anti-war demonstrations, and were ignored or insulted.

Today, our state takes a step toward righting a wrong. At 9:15 a.m., Gov. Jay Inslee plans to sign House Bill 1319, an act declaring that March 30 be recognized each year as Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day in Washington state.

Not a legal holiday, it’s a day of remembrance on which public places will display the POW-MIA flag along with the American flag. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Norm Johnson, R-Yakima, and a number of co-sponsors, including Rep. John McCoy, D-Tulalip.

The proposal was brought to Johnson by a member of the Yakama Warriors Association, an American Indian veterans group in Eastern Washington.

An Air Force veteran, McCoy was stationed at Clark Air Base in the Philippines in 1968. That was the year of the Tet Offensive, heavy attacks by North Vietnamese forces. Clark Air Base was the major supply base for U.S. forces in Vietnam.

McCoy didn’t serve in Vietnam, but his memories of seeing what happened there are vivid.

“My place of work was across the street from the base morgue. I did see coffins stacked up,” McCoy said Wednesday.

He said his wife Jeannie had the harder time. A civilian worker in the base hospital’s records section, “she had to take records all over the facility,” McCoy said. “Hallways, waiting rooms, everywhere was clogged with the wounded, still in battle uniforms. It took her a long time to get over that.”

It is decades late, but McCoy hopes the day to welcome Vietnam veterans home will make a meaningful statement.

“My hope is that it brings closure for the troops, that their service is acknowledged and that it was not in vain,” McCoy said. “We still have veterans — that war will never leave them. They still struggle with it,” he said.

After Inslee signs the bill, the state House and Senate will honor Vietnam veterans. There will also be a short ceremony today at the Washington State Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the Capitol campus.

“Too often our Vietnam veterans returned home to a less than grateful nation, so it is fitting that we embrace these heroes today,” Alfie Alvarado, director of the state’s Department of Veterans Affairs, said in a statement Thursday. She said Washington is home to more than 200,000 Vietnam veterans.

Heidi Audette, a spokeswoman for the state’s veterans department, said Vietnam veterans are encouraged to seek the benefits they earned. “There are specific problems tied to exposure to Agent Orange. It’s not too late to go back to the VA, for either health care services or disability compensation,” she said.

Tim Davis is the manager and head clinician at the Everett Vet Center, a facility of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

“The treatment Vietnam vets got after they got back home from Vietnam was almost criminal. They felt the rejection by the general population,” Davis said.

He believes that even if Vietnam veterans say the welcome-home day is coming way too late, the state’s action will touch them. “What they will say is, ‘It’s too late.’ The reality will be something different,” Davis said.

In recent years, veterans have told Davis that strangers have come up to thank them after seeing a baseball cap or other indication that they served in Vietnam. “They tell me this in tears,” he said.

Davis served in the Army from 1969 until 1991. During the Vietnam War, he worked in amputee services at Valley Forge Army General Hospital in Pennsylvania.

Today, he helps veterans of all ages who suffer from post-traumatic stress syndrome.

“It doesn’t matter if it was Somalia or Vietnam or Iraq, it’s all the same. But these young kids coming back have some appreciation from the country,” Davis said. “It’s different from Vietnam. They don’t understand what it feels like to be rejected by your country.”

McDonald, the Vietnam veteran from Whidbey, appreciates the welcome.

“The legislators who wrote this law did it to try to balance what happened in the past,” McDonald said. “They were doing something good. They really had their hearts in the right place.”

Herald writer Jerry Cornfield contributed to this story.

Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460; muhlstein@heraldnet.com.

Help for veterans

Vietnam veterans or their survivors needing information about benefits may call 800-562-2308 or email: benefits@dva.wa.gov.

The Everett Vet Center is at 3311 Wetmore Ave. Contact the center at 425-252-9701 or 877-927-8387.

SnoCo teens drinking less; thinking more about suicide

The 2012 Healthy Youth Survey reflects ups and downs among local older kids

Source: Snohomish County Health District

SNOHOMISH COUNTY, Wash. – The state’s recently released 2012 Healthy Youth Survey (HYS) shows that Snohomish County’s youth are having their ups and downs when it comes to healthy choices and experiences. The biennial report issued by the Washington State Department of Health offers health-risk information reported anonymously by students statewide in grades 6, 8, 10, and 12.

Issues of concern among Snohomish County teens include an increase in planning and seriously considering suicide, and worrisome reports of physical abuse by adults. The good news is that the teens who are depressed or considering suicide are more likely to seek help.

Use of cigarettes in the last 30 days was the lowest since 2002 in all grades, dropping to 15% for 12^th graders. Use of hookah tobacco, however, hit 19% in that age group, and more than 25% reported marijuana use.

Alcohol use was lower in Snohomish County than in Washington State across the board among all grades, decreasing 4-5% at each grade level. Most kids still are not getting enough exercise, with about 20-27% reporting that they are physically active for 60 minutes per day.

“When we focus on the kids in our community, we actually are focusing on the adult population of the immediate future,” said Dr. Gary Goldbaum, Health Officer and Director of the Snohomish Health District. “This is important information we use in planning as we attempt to meet the public health needs of the whole community.”

Data from select topics of concern in the 2012 survey are highlighted in new fact sheets on the Health District website at www.snohd.org. Health District staff has just begun analyzing this new data to identify trends and recommendations. The Snohomish Health District used data from the last Healthy Youth Survey in a community health assessment report that will be released in late April.

Find the state’s complete survey and fact sheets online at http://www.askhys.net/.

The 2012 HYS is the thirteenth survey since 1988 to sample Washington’s students about health risk behaviors that contribute to their illness, death, and social problems.

Students in each grade answered about 100 questions in six broad topics: demographics; alcohol, tobacco and other drug use; school climate; quality of life; risk and protective factors; and healthy weight, eating and physical activity.

The survey is a joint effort of the Department of Health, Department of Social and Health Services, Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Liquor Control Board, the Family Policy Council, and the Department of Commerce. Results are used to plan, implement, and evaluate state youth programs.

Established in 1959, the Snohomish Health District works for a safer and healthier community through disease prevention, health promotion, and protection from environmental threats. Find more information about the Health District at www.snohd.org.

Help is always needed at Tulalip Church of God food bank

By Monica Brown, Tulalip News Writer

TULALIP, Wash.-

The many food donations recenlty recieved being boxed ready to go. — The many food donations recently received being boxed ready to go.

Volunteers at the Tulalip Church of God food bank are happy to say that they help feed families of Snohomish County. Food bank volunteer Tamara Morden says, “We help feed about 150 -200 families every two weeks, so about 400 a month”. The food bank receives regular donations from people in the community and local businesses such as Safeway, Winco, and Northwest Harvest. While they did very well with donations this last, they received extra donations from First Nation Ministry of Portland of 2,000 lbs. of potatoes and two palettes of juice. And they are always in need of more donations of non-perishable foods.

The food bank has been in operation for seventeen years and was started by Marge Williams in order to serve the community west of Interstate 5. Once the food bank began receiving donations from Northwest Harvest they became available to all residents of Snohomish County.

Tamara has lived on the Tulalip Reservation since she was born. She began attending the Church of God in her youth and eventually began volunteering her time at the food bank. With the help of volunteers Tamara manages to keep the food bank going and while working a full-time job.

Food Bank volunteers; Delores Williams, Frances Morden, W. Jake Price and Tamara Morden on the far right.

“Louie Pablo picks up supplies and I’m very, very grateful for him doing that,” Tamara says. W. Jake Price is her biggest help; Jake has been helping at the Food Bank since Marge ran it, “He’s always here every day of donations,” explains Tamara.

The food bank hands out donations on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month from 10:30am -4:00pm and receives the donations the day before they hand out the donations, the second and fourth Monday of every month. Volunteers are always welcome, currently more help is needed to pick up donations from local businesses for the food bank.

If you would like to help, stop by the Tulalip Church of God (the red church) on the second or fourth Mondays and Tuesdays of each month to volunteer.

Tulalip Church of God

1330 Marine Dr NE

Tulalip, WA 98271

(360) 653-7876

Free, online tax preparation for Snohomish County households

Sara Haner, Communications Manager, United Way of Snohomish County

(Everett, WA) – Looking for free tax preparation online? The Walmart Foundation has joined with United Way Worldwide, Goodwill Industries International and National Disability Institute to launch MyFreeTaxes online, offering free federal and state tax preparation and filing services to eligible Snohomish County households. The MyFreeTaxes partnership also supports free tax preparation in-person at several sites throughout Snohomish County.

Eligible taxpayers in Snohomish County can access MyFreeTaxes filing services by:

● Visiting http://www.myfreetaxes.com/everett: (Open to households earning less than $57,000 annually.)

● Calling 2-1-1 or visiting http://www.uwsc.org/freetaxpreparationcampaign.php to locate a free tax site near them that provides volunteer assisted preparation and filing. (Open to households earning less than $51,000 annually.)

The MyFreeTaxes tax filing software is provided by H&R Block^®, and along with in-person free tax preparation programs, is expected to help return an estimated $1.95 billion this year in total tax refunds, credits and tax preparation fee savings to eligible taxpayers. Since 2009, MyFreeTaxes has helped more than 4.5 million families file free tax returns, resulting in nearly $6 billion in federal income tax refunds, nearly $1.5 billion in Earned Income Tax Credits and more than $913 million in tax preparer fee savings. MyFreeTaxes has also helped more than 610,000 taxpayers with disabilities file their returns.

“United Way of Snohomish County is excited to be part of the national MyFreeTaxes Partnership for the fourth year. Working together, we help eligible Snohomish County residents access free tax preparation and filing services, keeping more of their hard-earned money in their pockets,” said Ian Nelson, Tax Campaign Coordinator for United Way of Snohomish County.

For additional information and eligibility requirements, visit www.myfreetaxes.com/everett or call 1-855-MyTx-Help.

About MyFreeTaxes

The MyFreeTaxes Partnership provides free federal and state tax preparation and filing assistance for qualified individuals. It’s easy, safe, secure and 100 percent free. Powered by Walmart – in cooperation with Goodwill Industries International, National Disability Institute and United Way Worldwide – the MyFreeTaxes Partnership’s online and in-person tax preparation and filing services have helped 4.5 million families claim nearly $6 billion in tax credits and refunds since 2009. Tax filing software provided by H&R Block. For more information, visit MyFreeTaxes.com or call 1-855-My-Tx-Help.

About United Way of Snohomish County

United Way is a community impact organization serving Snohomish County for more than 70 years. In addition to funding 102 programs through 39 agencies with a special focus on local health and human services, United Way of Snohomish County supports a number of initiatives focusing on early learning and education, financial stability for families, a youth program, North Sound 211 and an emerging initiative in survival English.

To find out more about United Way of Snohomish County, including how you can find help, how to volunteer and how United Way serves our community, please visit our website at uwsc.org.

Food Excellence Awards honor top kitchens

Press Release, Snohomish Health District

SNOHOMISH COUNTY, Wash. – It’s like winning an Oscar Award for safe food handling. The Snohomish Health District Food Excellence Awards honor the top restaurants and institutional kitchens in six categories, selected from more than 4,000 food permit holders in Snohomish County.

Only businesses with no food code violations in the past year are even nominated for an award by food inspectors. After that, nominees are scrutinized by the Food Advisory Committee, a group of restaurant owners, managers, chefs and food safety specialists who volunteer their time to advise the Health District on policies and procedures.

The winners were honored at this week’s Snohomish County Board of Health meeting. Food Program Manager Rick Zahalka noted that each year the competition gets tougher and there are new challenges to food safety that must be addressed by businesses.

“I am always impressed by the achievements of Excellence Award winners. Their efforts result in excellent food safety and quality as well as in the happiness and satisfaction of their customers,” Zahalka said.

2012 Excellence Award Winners

Full Menu Establishment–Playa Bonita Mexican Restaurant, Marysville. Owners Jorge Acero, Mario Zambrano and Jose Luis Zambrano were commended for their professionalism and having no violations for the last five inspections.

Fast Service Establishment–Miyako’s Teriyaki & Wok, Marysville. Michael Kim owns and manages the restaurant near the Costco in Lakewood. It’s the second year this business received a nomination. The owner apologized for being late to the meeting – he was delayed by a food inspection. He shared some of his tactics for keeping surfaces clean and food fresh.

Limited Menu Establishment–Surf Shack Espresso, Lake Stevens. Theresa Personius owns and runs the business in Frontier Village.

Grocery Store–Harbor Pointe QFC #832, Mukilteo. The store is managed by Kevin Heuser – QFC’s corporate food safety specialist Jane Dale also attended the meeting. Last year, the QFC store in Bothell won this award.

School/Industry/Institution–Marysville Getchell High School. The school’s kitchen is managed by Donna Geise. She brought three kitchen workers with her, and noted that everyone on her team of 10 helped earn the award. The school serves breakfast and lunch in multiple buildings across the campus.

Temporary Food Establishment–Silver Firs Safeway. The store is managed by Mike Eagle. In addition to its deli and in-store food, the store does many temporary events outdoors, which add complexity.

Snohomish Health District created the Excellence Awards program in 1989 as a positive reinforcement of its restaurant and food service inspection program. The public health agency’s 11 food program staff visits every establishment at least once throughout the year. Restaurants with more extensive – and potentially hazardous – menus are inspected three. School kitchens, temporary food booths, assisted living businesses and grocery store barbeques are all inspected to ensure food safety.

Food inspection reports may be viewed online at www.snohd.org. Search for “restaurants.”

In addition to inspecting food facilities, the Health District offers classroom and online training for food workers and managers. In 2012 more than 25,000 Snohomish County food handlers received food safety training.

Call 425.339.5250 to learn more about the Food Program at Snohomish Health District, or visit us online at www.snohd.org.

Fourth flu death of Snohomish County confirmed

By Monica Brown, Tulalip News writer

Snohomish County has had its fourth confirmed death from the flu. A Stanwood man in his 90’s passed away Jan. 8 of influenza. In December there were 3 deaths from the flu, a Bothell woman in her 40’s and an Everett and an Edmonds woman both in their 80’s.

There have been 66 people hospitalized with influenza in the Snohomish County. Those who should be vaccinated are at people with a high risk of developing serious complications like pneumonia if they get sick with the flu; people who have certain medical conditions including asthma, diabetes, and chronic lung disease, pregnant women, people 65 years and older.

The Tulalip Health Clinic is offering free flu shots

Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri from 9:00 – 11:30 and from 1:15 – 4:00

Also on Weds, 10:00 – 11:30 and from 1:15 – 4:00 pm

Reminder:

Symptoms of the flu are characterized by vomiting, diarrhea, headache, runny nose, sore joints, fatigue, muscle ache, cough, and sore throat. These flu symptoms often show up with 2-3 days after coming in contact with the disease, and can last somewhere between 5 to 14 days, all depending on the strain of the virus and the patients’ ability to fight it off.

WebMD suggests 8 Natural Tips to Help Prevent a Cold and Flu

Wash your hands, often.
Use a tissue to cover your sneezes and coughs and not your hands.
Don’t touch your face, especially your eyes, nose and mouth.
Do aerobic exercises regularly, exercise helps to increase the body’s natural virus-killing cells.
Eat foods containing Phytochemicals, so put away the vitamin pill, and eat dark green, red, and yellow vegetables and fruits.
Don’t smoke.
Cut Alcohol Consumption.
Relax.

If you would like to know more about the influenza and the vaccine please visit

The center for disease control

WebMD cold and flu tips

Burn bans continue for Snohomish County, Tulalip & Stillaguamish tribes

Source: Arlington Times

January 15, 2013 · 1:36 PM

Snohomish County is one of three counties in which the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency has lowered the air quality burn ban to Stage 1 until further notice.

“Air pollution levels throughout the region have dropped, likely due to clouds and warmer temperatures,” said Dr. Phil Swartzendruber, forecaster for the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency. “The drop in pollution could also be due to the help of our communities following the burn ban. Calm, cold and clear weather conditions are likely to continue over the next few days, so ongoing cooperation with the burn ban will help keep our air healthy.”

The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency will continue to closely monitor the air quality and weather situation.

During a Stage 1 burn ban:

• No burning is allowed in fireplaces or uncertified wood stoves. Residents should rely instead on their homes’ other, cleaner sources of heat, such as their furnaces or electric baseboard heaters, for a few days until air quality improves, the public health risk diminishes and the ban is cancelled.

• No outdoor fires are allowed. This includes recreational fires such as bonfires, campfires, and the use of fire pits and chimineas.

• Burn ban violations are subject to a $1,000 penalty.

• It is okay to use natural gas, propane, pellet and EPA-certified wood stoves or inserts during a Stage 1 burn ban.

The Washington State Department of Health recommends that people who are sensitive to air pollution limit their time spent outdoors, especially when exercising. Air pollution can trigger asthma attacks, cause difficulty breathing, and make lung and heart problems worse. Air pollution is especially harmful to people with lung and heart problems, people with diabetes, children and adults older than 65 years.

The Tulalip and Stillaguamish tribes are likewise among the six Native American reservations on which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 10 will continue a burn ban on all outdoor burning until further notice, due to stagnant air conditions that are forecast to prevail over the next few days.

This burn ban applies to all outdoor and agricultural burning, including camping and recreational fires within reservation boundaries. Ceremonial and traditional fires are exempt from the outdoor burn ban.

The EPA also requests that reservation residents reduce all sources of air pollution, including excess driving and idling of vehicles, and the use of wood stoves and fireplaces, unless it is their only source of heat.

Air pollution can have significant health impacts. Cooperation from the community will help people who are at risk during this period. Those most at risk are children, the elderly, pregnant women, and those with difficulty breathing, and with heart and lung problems. Those at risk should avoid outdoor exercise and minimize their exposure to outdoor pollution as much as possible.

Please call 1-800-424-4EPA and ask for the Federal Air Rules for Reservations Hotline, or visit the FARR website for the current burn status at www.epa.gov/region10/farr/burnbans.html.

Influenza claims three lives in Snohomish County

Vaccination is the best protection against this severe flu; plenty of vaccine in the county

Press Release, Suzanne Pate, Snohomish Health District, www.snohd.org

SNOHOMISH COUNTY, Wash. — The Snohomish Health District reports three residents of Snohomish County died in recent days from the severe flu that is circulating throughout Western Washington. A Bothell woman in her 40s, an Everett woman in her 80s, and an Edmonds woman in her 80s died in late December in Snohomish County hospitals. All had underlying medical conditions.

“We may be facing the most severe flu season since 2009,” said Dr. Gary Goldbaum. “I urge everyone over 6 months of age to get an annual flu shot. It’s still the best weapon we have to fight the flu strains that are circulating this year. Wash your hands often, stay home if you are sick, and cover your cough!”

Snohomish County is well supplied with flu vaccine in providers’ offices as well as community clinics, pharmacies, and the Snohomish Health District clinics. The Health District stocks about 1,000 doses of adult vaccine, and 300 doses of children’s vaccine. More is available as needed.

Dr. Goldbaum noted that this year’s vaccines appear to be well matched for the two strains of influenza A and one strain of influenza B that are circulating this year. The three strains are H1N1A, H3N2A, and B/Wisconsin. The dominant strain is H3N2, which can cause more serious illness. As of Jan. 2, a surveillance report from two area hospitals shows 52 people have been hospitalized with flu symptoms since Nov. 1 in Snohomish County.

During the 2010-2011 influenza season, we received reports of 16 persons hospitalized with influenza; there was one death reported due to influenza. During the 2011-2012 season, 39 were hospitalized and there were two deaths. Thus, in Snohomish County this season to date compared with each of the past two entire seasons, more people have been hospitalized for or died from influenza.

The Washington State Department of Health reported three deaths in December in King and Pierce counties. Lab-confirmed deaths are reportable although many flu-related deaths may go unreported because they are not lab-confirmed or tested for influenza. The CDC estimates that up to 49,000 people could die from the flu this season.

Flu shots are especially important for people at high risk for complications from the flu, including young children, people 65 and older, pregnant women and women who recently gave birth, and people with certain medical conditions like asthma, diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, and neurologic conditions. You need a fresh flu vaccine every year; last year’s vaccine won’t work on the current circulating strains.

Visit CDC for more information about the 2012-2013 flu season. To find flu vaccine in your ZIP code, go to the Flu Vaccine Finder page. You also can find good health tips and background about the flu at the Department of Health website.