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The Commonwealth of Virginia has expanded the list of those who are eligible for Medicaid. Applications are now being accepted for coverage, which will go into effect January 1, 2019. Adults without children are now eligible for Medicaid, and income caps have been expanded for families and people with disabilities.
Adult Day Health Care
Health Department News
October 23, 2018
More than 600 people working at skilled nursing facilities in Fairfax County got their flu shot this month as part of a vaccination exercise conducted by the Health Department.
Nine skilled nursing facilities participated in the exercise, which served two purposes: to increase vaccination rates among skilled nursing facility staff who work with clients who are particularly susceptible to flu and its complications, and to test the health department’s emergency response capabilities for a potential flu pandemic.
The event took place on Oct. 17 and 18 and was coordinated by the health department’s Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response. Teams from the health department, George Mason University’s nursing program, and the Fairfax Medical Reserve Corps visited five facilities to provide flu vaccines to employees on-site. Four other facilities were given vaccine to administer to their staff, contractors and volunteers.
Skilled nursing facility residents are particularly at risk for severe flu due to their age and underlying illnesses. Vaccinating persons who care for these individuals reduces the risk that a healthcare worker would become ill and transmit infection to the high-risk residents, said Dr. Benjamin Schwartz, Director of Epidemiology and Population Health.
"This point-of-dispensing drill was a great opportunity for the Health Department to test our ability to give vaccine in an efficient and timely manner while providing free shots to protect against the flu,” Schwartz said. “We are very grateful to our partners who participated in this valuable exercise and understand the important role they play in preventing the spread of flu in our community.”
The flu vaccine was provided by the Virginia Department of Health for use in this exercise. The nine facilities that participated included:
Burke Health & Rehabilitation.
Dulles Health & Rehabilitation.
Goodwin House Bailey’s Crossroads.
Leewood Healthcare Center.
ManorCare Fair Oaks.
Mount Vernon Healthcare Center.
Powhatan Nursing Home.
Sleepy Hollow Healthcare Center.
The Virginian.
Flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by a virus. People who are sick with the flu will often experience symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headaches and fatigue. Most people who get flu will recover in a few days to less than two weeks, but some people will develop complications (such as pneumonia), which can be life-threatening and result in death.
Anyone can get sick with flu (even healthy people), and serious problems related to flu can happen at any age, but some people are at high risk of developing serious flu-related complications if they get sick. This includes people 65 years and older, people of any age with certain chronic medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease), pregnant women and children younger than 5 years, but especially those younger than 2 years old.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends everyone age 6 months or older get a yearly flu vaccine. Flu vaccine is widely available in the community, including at all five Health Department clinics in Fairfax County. Other vaccines for children and adults, including for foreign travel, are available too for a fee. For faster service and shorter wait times, please call for an appointment.
Learn more about flu prevention at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/health/flu.
October 2, 2018
After identifying four animals that tested positive for rabies in the Centreville area over the last 30 days, the Fairfax County Health Department is asking residents to steer clear of wild animals and to report any animal attacks right away.
Dates and locations of the four incidents are as follows:
Sept. 6, 14800 block of Haymarket Lane. A skunk appeared ill and residents fed and cared for it before reporting the sick animal, which later tested positive for rabies.
Sept. 14, 5400 block of Goldmoore Court. A skunk was reported for odd behavior after fighting with two dogs. The skunk, distinct looking with a nearly all black body, white crown and white tipped tail, tested positive for rabies.
Sept. 21, 13000 block of Madonna Lane. A resident was bitten after stopping to assist an injured raccoon that was in the roadway. The raccoon, gray with a ringed tail, tested positive for rabies.
Sept. 28, 6300 block of James Harris Way. A skunk was aggressive, attacking inanimate objects, some dogs and another skunk before being reported. The skunk tested positive for rabies.
During the time they were sick, these animals may have had contact with other people or pets. If you, someone you know, or a pet touched or was bitten or scratched by these animals between Aug. 26 and Sept. 27 you are urged to call the Fairfax County Health Department’s Rabies Program at 703-246-2433, TTY 711.
Rabies is a serious disease caused by a virus that can infect wildlife, particularly foxes, raccoons, skunks and bats, and domestic animals, such as dogs and cats. The rabies virus is found in the saliva and central nervous tissue of an infected animal. People get rabies when they are bitten or scratched by an animal that is sick with the disease. The virus can also be passed along when an infected animals’ saliva, brain or spinal nervous tissue enters an open wound, mouth, nose or eyes of another mammal. To date, 22 animals have been diagnosed with rabies in Fairfax County in 2018.
Animals with rabies may act normally during the early stages of the disease, making it difficult to know if the animal is infected. As the disease progresses, animals often show changes in behavior. For example, wild animals may act very docile and domestic animals may become aggressive. Rabid animals may stagger, drool or become paralyzed. Protect yourself and your family from rabies: stay away from wild animals and be sure pets are vaccinated against rabies every year. Remember, if the animal is not your own, leave it alone!
Here are other important steps to protect yourself and your pets from rabies:
Do not allow your pets to roam unattended.
Do not adopt or feed wild or stray animals.
Seal openings in your house so that wildlife cannot enter.
Report animal bites, animals that are acting strangely (including domestic animals), or altercations between wild and domestic animals to Fairfax County’s Animal Protection Police at 703-691-2131, TTY 711.
If bitten or scratched by an animal that might have rabies, wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water and seek medical attention right away. When vaccinations are provided in time, rabies treatment is 100 percent effective in preventing the disease. But if not treated, rabies is 100 percent fatal.
More information about rabies can be found at on the Health Department’s website at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/health/rabies.
October 5, 2018
As of October 1, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) has identified a record number of human West Nile virus (WNV) cases. VDH has received reports of WNV from multiple regions of the state for a combined total of 38 human cases in 2018* .
These cases serve as a reminder that mosquitoes that transmit WNV can be active as late as the end of October here in Virginia, said State Health Commissioner M. Norman Oliver, MD, MA, and so we are advising the public to avoid mosquito bites until the first frost.
Read the full news release: Health Officials Warn of Increased Risk of WNV Transmission in Virginia
*Seven of those 38 cases are in Fairfax County and an additional case has been reported.
