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Did you know that today, June 27th, is National HIV Testing Day? It’s a day when we focus on the importance of getting tested for HIV, a virus that affects people all around the world. Let’s rediscover why this day is so important.

Why HIV Testing Matters:

• Getting tested helps you know your HIV status.
• Knowing your status early can help you get the right treatment and stay healthy.
• It also helps you protect others by reducing the chance of spreading the virus.
• Testing is a key part of preventing HIV and staying safe.

What HIV/AIDS Means:

• HIV is a virus that can make you sick and weaken your immune system.
• AIDS is a condition that can happen if HIV is not treated.
  • AIDS is the last stage of HIV infection that occurs when a body’s immune system is badly damaged.
• With the right care and treatment, people with HIV can live long and healthy lives.

What We Can All Do:

• Talk to your doctor or visit a clinic to get tested.
  • The VDH Pharmacy Testing Program is available to provide FREE HIV and hep C testing at select pharmacies across Virginia. 
  • On June 27th, participating Walgreens stores across the nation are offering FREE HIV, syphilis and hep C testing.
• Encourage friends and family to get tested.
• Learn about safe sex practices and ways to prevent HIV.
• Support and show kindness to people living with HIV/AIDS.
• Visit the VDH HIV & STDs Disease Prevention webpage to learn more!

This National HIV Testing Day, let’s come together to raise awareness and take action. By getting tested and spreading the word, we can make a difference in our communities and help stop the spread of HIV. Your health matters, so let’s take care of ourselves and each other!

Summer is here and our goal is to find the best way to spend it. Festivals, traveling, the beach, boating, hiking… the possibilities are endless. But the key to a great summer is to think cool.

As temperatures outside rise, it’s important to stay hydrated and stay cool. Last summer (May to September) in Virginia, 2,656 people visited an emergency department (ED) with heat-related illness. According to the National Weather Service (NWS), heat was the top cause of weather-related fatalities in 2023. According to the Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), approximately 1,220 people in the United States die annually from extreme heat.

And this summer is predicted to be warmer than average. In fact, EDs have already seen 869 cases (vs. 275 for the same period in 2023) of heat-related illness as of June 24.

Heat stroke and heat exhaustion occur when your body is unable to cool itself. Humidity plays a big factor in your body’s ability to release heat. The higher the humidity, the slower your sweat evaporates. Additionally, age, weight, heart disease, poor circulation, alcohol, sunburn, and prescription drugs play a factor in how quickly your body can cool itself.

You can beat the heat with these tips:

• Stay Hydrated – Drinking water is one of the most important and easiest way to prevent heat-related illnesses. Start drinking water before you go out in the heat and continue throughout the day. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink. Avoid energy drinks and alcohol. Alcohol causes dehydration and the high levels of caffeine in energy drinks can strain your heart.
• Stay Cool – The easiest way to keep cool is to stay inside in the air conditioning. Fans are helpful but are ineffective in extreme heat. Don’t have a/c? Visit an indoor mall or head to the movies. If outside, stay in the shade as much as possible. Limit use of heat-producing appliances like the dryer, stove, or oven.
• Limit Physical Activity – Schedule your outdoor activities for the coolest times of the day – early morning or evening. When outside, pace yourself. Start slow and pick up your pace gradually. You may not be able to do the activities (running, hiking) at the same pace as a cooler day. Take frequent breaks in the shade.
• Dress Appropriately – Loose, lightweight clothing is the best way to dress for the heat. Light-colored and breathable fabrics will be more comfortable. Wear sunscreen (SPS 15 or higher), glasses, and a sun hat for protection. Reapply sunscreen often.
• Stay Informed – Before heading outside make sure you are aware of any weather and heat advisories. Know the difference between a heat watch and a heat warning. The CDC Heat & Health Tracker provides local heat and health information for you to better prepare for and respond to extreme heat events in your community.
• Check on Others – The heat can affect people differently. People 65 and older, children younger than two, and people with chronic diseases or mental illness are at a higher risk. Keep a close eye on your friends and neighbors. Do not leave children or pets in cars. Temperatures inside the car can rise almost 20 degrees within the first 10 minutes, even with the windows cracked. Make sure pets have plenty of water and shade.

If you, or someone you care, for develop symptoms of a heat-related illness, it’s important that you recognize the signs and know how to treat the symptoms or get additional help.

Individual suffering from heat-related illness might experience any of the following symptoms to include muscle cramps, headaches, nausea, dizziness, rash, weakness, irritability, thirst, heavy sweating or no sweating, high body temperature, and decreased urine output.

Knowing what to do might save your life or that of a loved one.

• Get the individual to a cooler place immediately.
• Cool the individual’s body temperature with a cold water or ice bath, if possible. If not, place cold compresses on the forehead, at the back of the neck, under the arms and in the groin area where large blood vessels lie close to the skin surface.
• Remove unnecessary clothing and/or soak clothing in cold water.
• Encourage sips of cold water.
• Circulate the air around the individual. Fan them.

If symptoms persist for more than an hour or get worse, seek medical attention immediately.

If an individual, loses consciousness, has a fast, strong pulse, hot, red skin and/or temperatures of 103° F, call 911 immediately. Heat stroke is an emergency.

If you keep these tips in mind, you, your family, and friends can have a safe, cool summer. Remember that your local health department can be a resource for summer safety.

Have a healthy, happy, and safe summer!

The Virginia Department of Health is joining organizations around the globe in bringing more awareness to sickle cell disease (SCD). Sickle cell disease is an inherited lifelong condition that primarily affects people of African descent. SCD gets its name from sickle-shaped red blood cells. Unlike normal blood cells that are shaped like round discs, sickle cells are stiff and do not move through blood vessels easily. This causes painful blockages, referred to as a “pain crisis.” A crisis can last a few hours, a few days or longer. The blockages can result in tissue damage, strokes, organ damage and other serious medical complications.

Recently, the FDA approved two milestone treatments for SCD. The cell-based gene therapies treat SCD in patients 12 years and older.

In Virginia, all babies are screened for sickle cell disease. Newborns diagnosed with the condition, or a similar inherited blood disorder are referred to a Care Connection for Children Center.

The Virginia Department of Health funds three initiatives related to SCD.

1.  Virginia Sickle Cell Awareness Program
2. the Pediatric Comprehensive Sickle Cell Clinic Network
3. the Adult Comprehensive Sickle Cell Clinic Network.

Each of the programs focuses on a certain area of need, such as screening, financial support, education, or health care. For more information about SCD, including resources visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website.

June is National Men’s Health Month. The Virginia Department of Health encourages men to take action when it comes to their health. It’s a step that can have widespread benefits — since men’s health can impact everyone. Some of the actions that men should consider include.

• Eating healthy – Eat more fruits and vegetables and eat food with less salt, fat, sugar, and high calories.
• Physical activity – Make a plan to participate in physical activities regularly. Pick something that is enjoyable, which will help in staying motivated.
• Get a checkup – Schedule yearly checkups. Regular health screenings can prevent serious illness.

A major health concern for men living in Virginia and the nation is prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is the leading cause of cancer for men living in the Commonwealth. In 2020, more than 5,200 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer and 880 Virginians died from the disease. The risk factors include:

• Age – the older the man, the greater their chance of prostate cancer.
• Race/Ethnicity – African American men are more likely to develop prostate cancer and twice is likely to die from the disease.
• Family history
• Obesity

For more information on making healthy choices and health screenings, visit Cancer and Men on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

More often than not, when we go to grab a glass of ice-cold water, we are not always considering the source and safety of the water; we just know that it’s about to quench our thirst.

Fortunately for us, the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) was established to protect the quality of drinking water in the U.S. and set strong water quality standards. This law focuses on all waters designed for drinking use.

Established in 1974, the SDWA has provided protection against hazards that threaten our water supply and our health.

In accordance with the SDWA, the Virginia Department of Health, Office of Drinking Water (ODW) works to protect public health and ensure all Virginians have a safe and adequate supply of drinking water.

As outlined in the Code of Virginia, § 32.1-167

• The Office of Drinking Water provides a simple and effective regulatory program for waterworks.
• Adapts to new health concerns in drinking water treatment and distribution systems
• Provides a means to improve inadequate waterworks.
• Provides 24/7 oversight and emergency response services to the Commonwealth.

ODW oversees 2,828 public systems that serve approximately 7.75 million consumers. Public water systems can also be privately owned but are regulated in the same way. Water from regulated water systems is regularly tested for over 90 different contaminants.

The capacity to live, make food, and maintain hygiene is dependent on a supply of safe water. In Virginia, not everyone is on a water supply regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Some are on private wells and are responsible for testing their own water and maintaining their own systems.

Check out the Drinking Water Viewer, which is an application that lets any community member view data that ODW maintains about a regulated public water system or waterworks. This application does not apply to private wells or other water systems not regulated as a waterworks. The information that can be retrieved typically includes:

• Size and type of population served
• Water system facilities (e.g., wells, intakes, treatment plant, etc.)
• Sampling requirements
• Sampling results reported to VDH-ODW
• Violations
• Inspections

To deliver safe, trusted, affordable, sufficient, and accessible drinking water, a multitude of experts collaborate seamlessly, drawing upon their understanding of engineering, environmental science, toxicology, epidemiology, hydrology, biology, chemistry, physics, climatology, meteorology, project and construction management, law, watershed management, emergency preparedness, technology, water and wastewater treatment, communication, marketing, scientific inquiry, and contaminants.

Today, the Safe Drinking Water Act continues to provide a framework for monitoring and responding to hazards that threaten our water supply and public health.

Sources:

• https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-safe-drinking-water-act
• https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/drinking-water/

Virginia Department of Health (VDH) is joining people and organizations around the nation who are celebrating cancer survivors on National Cancer Survivors Day. This is the 37th annual observance, which is held on the first Sunday of June. According to the American Cancer Society, as of 2022, more than 432,500 cancer survivors living in Virginia.

More people are surviving and living longer after cancer. A person is considered a cancer survivor from the time of diagnosis through the rest of their life. Even after treatment has ended, cancer survivors may experience long term physical and emotional side effects, financial hardships, increased risk for secondary cancers and other health problems as a result of their cancer diagnosis and treatment.

There are a number of resources available to cancer survivors and their caretakers to help address needs they may experience during their survivorship journey.

1. CDC Cancer Survivors: https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/survivors/index.htm
2. National Cancer Institute: Cancer Survivorship: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/coping/survivorship
3. American Cancer Society: https://www.cancer.org/
4. Patient Advocate Foundation: https://www.patientadvocate.org/
5. Cancer LINC: https://cancerlinc.org/
6. ASK Childhood Cancer Foundation: https://www.askccf.org/

To learn more about what VDH is doing to address the burden of cancer in Virginia and ways you can get involved, see the Virginia Cancer Plan.

May is here and June is fast approaching, and we’re getting outside to enjoy the spring weather. But as we get outdoors, the risk of encountering ticks increases and with increased tick exposure, the risk of Lyme disease increases.

Lyme disease is a serious disease in Virginia and is prevalent in suburban regions of the northern and western parts of Virginia. This includes higher mountainous areas of the state and areas along the coast where temperatures are mild. It is spread by the bite of the blacklegged tick (aka deer tick), which is common in these parts of Virginia.

To draw the public’s attention to the disease, May is designated as Lyme Disease Awareness Month.

Ticks thrive in suburban forests where there are domestic and wild animals. Deer are the most important animal contributing to tick reproduction as adult male and female ticks meet and mate on the deer. Deer also serve as the last meal for female ticks and the blood they consume is necessary for egg production. Leaf packs and yard debris make excellent wildlife habitats, and pressure from hunting and predators is minimal.

Blacklegged ticks can be found primarily in:

• Forests
• Along the forest edge
• Shaded grassy areas
• Tall brush

Lyme disease cannot be transferred from one animal to another; the only way an animal can get the disease is from a tick bite. Blacklegged nymphs, which are about the size of a poppy seed, are the life stage most likely to bite people and transmit this disease. The potential for infection exists year-round but is most common in the spring and summer months when the climate is warm and humid. The earliest sign of possible infection is a “bulls-eye” rash around the site of the tick bite. Other early symptoms include a constant headache, a fever, joint or muscle pain, and fatigue.

If it’s left untreated, Lyme disease can cause the following symptoms:

• Severe headaches and neck stiffness
• Pain in the tendons, muscles, joints, and bones
• Rashes on other areas of the body
• Arthritis with severe joint pain and swelling, especially in the knees and other large joints
• Facial palsy with the facial muscles drooping on one side
• Nerve pain and shooting paints, numbness, or tingling in the hands and feet
• Irregular heartbeat, dizziness, and/or shortness of breath
• Inflammation of the brain and spinal cord

If you’ve been outside, hiking or camping, it’s important to check yourself for ticks and remove any you find immediately. If you find a tick and are unsure how long it has been on your body, preserve the tick in rubbing alcohol. If you notice any of the early symptoms of infection, consult with your healthcare provide as soon as possible. If you have symptoms, it’s possible with early treatment to avoid any long-term affects of Lyme disease. The Virginia Department of Health offers tick identification through the Virginia Tick Survey.

Learn more about ticks and the diseases they’re associated with, check out the VDH tick resource page.

May 20-26, 2024, marks the 20th Healthy and Safe Swimming Week. Let’s dive into swim safety and learn important tips to stay safe while having fun in the water. 

Understanding the Risks: 

Drowning can happen quickly and quietly. Even if someone looks like they’re okay, they might be in trouble. It’s important to know what to look for and how to help. 

• Usually, drowning people are unable to call out for help since their body is focused on breathing. 
• Drowning people’s mouths typically bob above and below the surface of the water.  
• Individuals who are drowning are not usually able to wave for help. The instinctive drowning response forces them to use their arms to push down on the surface of the water to keep their head above water. 
• Because their arms are used in the Instinctive Drowning Response, they also cannot grab onto a rescuer or rescue equipment.  
• During the Instinctive Drowning Response, the drowning person’s body remains upright in a vertical position, and they do not kick their legs.  
• People can only struggle this way for 20 to 60 seconds before they go under water for good.  

Adult Supervision: 

When children are near water, supervision and safety is critical to prevent drowning. Children do not always struggle in the water. They can drown without making a sound. 

Swimming Lessons and Skills: 

Basic skills include:  

• Entering the water 
• Surfacing 
• Turning around 
• Propelling oneself for at least 25 yards 
• Floating on or treading water
• Exiting the water 

High quality swimming lessons will include additional potentially life-saving skills such as self-rescue, swimming in clothes and life jackets, and falling into the water. While they can contribute to water safety, swimming lessons do not erase the risks of swimming. Conditions such as water temperature, air temperature, weather, water depth, water movement and situational and individual factors can affect an individual’s swimming ability. Parents and caregivers should work with swimming instructors to monitor their child’s progress in the water.  

Safety Gear: 

Wearing a life jacket is like having a superhero cape in the water! It keeps everyone safe, even the not-so-great swimmers. 

Remember that floaties are not safety devices and can often provide a false sense of safety to guardians and swimmers. When these toys are in use, the caregiver must still provide active supervision.  

Water Barriers: 

It’s important to have barriers and safety controls around water to keep everyone safe. Putting up fences and alarms around pools is like building a castle to protect from danger. 

Emergency Preparedness and CPR: 

Learning CPR and what to do in an emergency is like having a superpower to save lives. Let’s make sure we know what to do if someone needs help in the water. 

If drowning has occurred and the victim is not breathing, bystander-initiated CPR is the most effective way to promote a positive outcome. CPR consists of rescue breathing, chest compressions and use of an automatic external defibrillator (AED). An AED is a machine used during a heart attack to restart the heart. 

Community and Water Education: 

We can all be water safety superheroes by helping others stay safe. The more we know, the safer we’ll be! Remember to never swim alone, stay away from deep or unknown water and spread the word. 

During the 20th Healthy and Safe Swimming Week, make every splash a safe one! By learning about drowning prevention and being water safety superheroes, we can ensure everyone stays safe and has fun near water! Visit www.SwimHealthyVA.com for more resources.

May is Hepatitis Awareness Month in the United States (U.S.). May 19th is Hepatitis Testing Day. During this month we work extra hard to shed light on the impact that viral hepatitis has on the public. By raising awareness around hepatitis, we can also encourage testing, vaccination, and treatment.

Hepatitis Key Facts

There are different viruses that can cause hepatitis. The most common types of viral hepatitis are hepatitis A, B, and C.

• Chronic hepatitis B and C are leading causes of liver cancer in the U.S.
• Both hepatitis A and B are preventable with safe and effective vaccines.
• Hepatitis C is curable with prescribed treatment.
• Certain groups of people may be at increased risk for hepatitis A and B and may benefit from discussing vaccination options with their healthcare provider.
• About 66% of people with hepatitis B are unaware of their infection.  About 40% of people living with hepatitis C do not know they are infected.
• Many adults with hepatitis A may be unaware of their infection as they may not show symptoms.  Children with hepatitis A under the age of 6 often have no symptoms.
  • Those with hepatitis A can still transmit the virus even if they are not showing symptoms.
• Talk to your healthcare provider about testing for hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Testing and screening during pregnancy is important for you and your baby’s health.
• Getting tested is the only way to know if you have hepatitis B or C.
• Specific laboratory testing must be performed to identify hepatitis A.
  • If you are concerned about hepatitis A, please speak with a healthcare provider.

Get Involved

• Share the ABCs of Viral Hepatitis. Help others learn about the three most common types of viral hepatitis in the U.S.
• If you are a provider and offer hepatitis testing read about how to register your services through our online registry.
• Visit our website to learn more about viral hepatitis.
• Find provider-specific information and resources to share online.

Get the Word Out

Follow the Virginia Disease Prevention Hotline on Facebook. Share our posts around Hepatitis Awareness Month and National Hepatitis Testing Day. Those posts will have the following hashtags: #HepAware2024, #HepatitisAwarenessMonth, #NationalHepatitisTestingDay and #Hepatitis.

Find other info on our Facebook as well. This includes mpox and syphilis info, both of which we are seeing increased cases of in Virginia.

Got Questions?

If you or a loved one has questions about viral hepatitis, call the Disease Prevention Hotline. Reach us toll-free at (800) 533-4148. You can reach a hotline counselor any weekday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The hotline is closed for Virginia holidays.