Epidemiology

Three Rivers Health investigates cases of reportable diseases, which are diseases considered to be of great public health importance. The Code of Virginia requires that these diseases be reported when they are diagnosed by doctors and laboratories. Reporting allows for the collection of statistics that show how often the disease occurs, the detection of outbreaks and identification of dangerous practices or products.  Detailed data can be found at Virginia Communicable Disease Data.

Our services include:

DISEASE SURVEILLANCE

Reports are received on diseases in the community. A nurse or epidemiologist will follow up with these reports to provide education to reduce the spread of illness to others and will sometimes recommend treatment or vaccination for certain conditions.

SYNDROMIC SURVEILLANCE

Our local hospitals participate in providing emergency department diagnosis and chief complaint information to help us look for suspicious illness or bioterrorism activity.

INFLUENZA SURVEILLANCE

Our local medical community reports cases of influenza that occur in the community. A few medical providers participate in a special sentinel program from October-April to provide a picture of flu activity in the community and report cases early and late in the flu season.

OUTBREAK SURVEILLANCE AND INTERVENTION

Clusters of disease are identified through disease surveillance, syndromic surveillance, reports from schools and individuals.  We help schools, nursing homes, group homes, adult assisted living and other communities identify community health issues and deal with them (for example, norovirus or influenza outbreaks).

To report a problem or to notify us about activities that may be of public health concern, please contact your local health department or the Three Rivers epidemiologist Phillip Carr.

Phillip Carr, MPH
District Epidemiologist
phillip.carr@vdh.virginia.gov
Phone: 804-769-4988
Fax: 804-769-2155