媒體更新

狂犬病 

更新：  

Bat activity in the environment increases in the spring and summer months, and that is when health departments and local animal protection partners also receive more reports of bat encounters.  Bats play an important role in the ecosystem and should not be proactively removed from the environment, and, like all wildlife, should be observed and enjoyed from a distance, and never adopted as pets.  Bats are, however, considered a high-risk species for rabies, so when people and pets have direct physical contact with a bat, there is a concern about the potential for exposure to rabies.       

Public Guidance:  

Anyone who has been bitten by a bat or who has had direct contact with a bat and can’t be sure he was not bitten is considered potentially exposed to rabies.   

Domestic animals, like dogs and cats, might be exposed to rabies if they have direct contact with a bat.  People and pets can also be exposed to rabies by bats without being aware of the bite and bite marks may not be obvious.  

Contact your local health department and seek medical advice, even in the absence of an obvious bite wound, if you find a bat in a room with a:  

• Sleeping person 

• Unattended, small child  

• Someone mentally or physically challenged  

• Intoxicated person 

• Pet  

Bats that may have exposed people or animals to rabies should be collected safely for possible testing (or at least not released until after you have talked with the local health department).  

Bats can be contained in a room by closing the windows and door(s). Use caution if you try to capture a bat yourself by wearing gloves and using a container (like a coffee can or a box) to place over the bat and then sliding and securing a piece of cardboard between the container and the bat. Never handle a bat barehanded.  

Call your local health department for advice about testing and medical care after you or your pet have come into contact with a bat. A local health department directory can be found at vdh.virginia.gov/local-health-districts.  

請將所有問題和採訪請求發送給 Logan Anderson，電子郵件地址為 logan.anderson@vdh.virginia.gov 

OCME Missing Persons Program 

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The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) is working to raise awareness and generate new leads that may help identify eight unidentified individuals whose remains were discovered following the devastation caused by Hurricane Camille in August 1969 in Nelson County, Virginia. 

The flooding caused by Hurricane Camille produced one of the worst natural disasters to ever strike Virginia. In total, 124 people died in Nelson County and eight fatalities are still unidentified. The Long Term Unidentified Coordinator with the OCME is hoping that this information can reach individuals who may have historical knowledge or family connections. Any information, no matter how small, can make a meaningful difference in helping us identify these individuals. 

For additional information regarding these cases and other unidentified cases in Virginia, visit: https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/medical-examiner/looking-for-a-missing-person/ or contact Lara Newell, long term unidentified coordinator for the OCME at lara.newell@vdh.virginia.gov. 

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“Every unidentified person represents a family waiting for answers,” said Lara Newell, long term unidentified coordinator for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. “By sharing this story, you are helping us reach someone who might simply remember something that could finally give these individuals their name back. Public awareness is often the key that unlocks cases like this.” 

Send all questions and interview requests to Tristen Franklin at Tristen.Franklin@vdh.virginia.gov 

Virginia Department of Health Highlights Overdose Prevention and Treatment Efforts
ED Bridge to Treatment Program and Overdose Needs Assessment Tool strengthen Virginia's data-driven approach to overdose prevention, treatment and recovery 

更新： 

The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) is highlighting two of many key efforts supporting the Commonwealth's response to drug overdose: 

• Emergency Department (ED) Bridge to Treatment Program  

• 藥物過量 Needs Assessment Tool 

These efforts use healthcare partnerships and data-driven strategies to identify communities with more need. They: 

• connect individuals to treatment, and  

• strengthen overdose prevention efforts. 

While there is still much work to be done, recent VDH data show encouraging progress in reducing fatal drug overdoses in Virginia. Drug overdose deaths decreased 37% in 2024 compared with 2023. Preliminary data for 2025 show a continued decreasing trend. 

VDH’s Drug Overdose Needs Assessment Tool uses data to guide prevention resources to communities at higher need for drug overdose prevention.  

VDH also supports the Emergency Department (ED) Bridge to Treatment Program. The VDH Office of Family Health Services and Carilion Clinic partnered to launch the program in 2018. The program connects patients in the ED with appropriate follow up care. This includes people who present to the ED with:    

• non-fatal overdose,  

• acute withdrawal, or 

• Requests for substance use treatment.  

Care may include prescriptions, peer recovery support, case management, and access to treatment providers. 

As part of its work to replicate this model statewide, VDH and Carilion continue to share its effective model with hospitals and health systems across Virginia.  For more information visit VDH.   

Note: International Overdose Awareness Day is observed August 31. 

Send all questions and interview requests to Cheryle Rodriguez at Cheryle.Rodriguez@vdh.virginia.gov