May Healthcare Professionals Newsletter

Virginia Department of Health sent this bulletin at 05/27/2026 02:48 PM EDT

May 27, 2026

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Healthcare Professionals Newsletter

In This Issue

Emerging Issues in Public Health

Measles in Virginia
Ebola Outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda
May 2026 Hantavirus Outbreak Associated with a Cruise Ship

More to Know

Ticked Off: Help Your Patients Avoid Tick Bites this Season
Preparing for the 2026 World Cup

Mark Your Calendars

Virginia Summit on Perinatal Substance Use, June 3-4
2026 Infection Prevention Education Roadshow

Resources

Infection Prevention Updates

Measles in Virginia

VDH announced a measles outbreak in Buckingham County on May 13, 2026. Please encourage your patients to be up to date with the routinely recommended number of MMR vaccinations. Additionally, VDH has issued outbreak vaccination recommendations for patients who live in or visit the Buckingham County area. Providers should maintain a high index of suspicion for measles and can consult VDH’s updated Reporting and Testing Algorithm when evaluating potential measles patients.

Visit VDH’s Measles Information for Healthcare Providers page for more detailed recommendations.

Ebola Outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda

A large Ebola outbreak caused by Bundibugyo virus is occurring in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda. The World Health Organization declared this a public health emergency of international concern. On May 19, CDC issued a Health Advisory about this outbreak.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) consider the risk to the American public and travelers to be low. To date, no cases of Ebola Virus Disease have been confirmed in the United States because of this outbreak.

CDC has issued Travel Notices for DRC and Uganda, and has restricted entry of non-U.S. passport holders into the U.S. if they have been in DRC, Uganda or South Sudan in the previous 21 days.

VDH is conducting public health symptom monitoring for Virginia travelers who were potentially exposed in DRC or Uganda, consistent with the CDC Interim Guidance for Public Health Assessment and Management of Travelers Arriving from the Affected Countries during the 2026 Ebola outbreak.

VDH recommends the following for healthcare providers:

Identify patients with exposure risks and compatible symptoms through a clinical triage and evaluation process including a travel history.

Be prepared to follow CDC's Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Patients in U.S. Hospitals who are Suspected or Confirmed to have Selected Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers.

Immediately report any suspected cases to your infection control team and local health department.

Visit CDC’s Current Situation website and VDH’s Ebola website for the latest information.

May 2026 Hantavirus Outbreak Associated with a Cruise Ship

On May 2, 2026, an outbreak of Andes virus on the M/V Hondius cruise ship in the Atlantic was reported to the World Health Organization (WHO). CDC issued a Health Advisory on May 8 and a Health Update on May 18. As of May 19, no confirmed cases of Andes virus associated with the cruise ship outbreak have been reported in the United States.

The Andes virus risk to the American public is considered extremely low.

VDH is closely monitoring potentially exposed travelers who have returned to Virginia. Plans are in place to quickly link those travelers with care if they become ill.

Hantavirus infections, of any kind, are rare in Virginia. Contact your local health department right away if you have a patient with symptoms compatible with hantavirus.

Consider other endemic hantaviruses in patients who have symptoms compatible with hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) or non-HPS hantavirus infection, with rodent exposure but who are not associated with the M/V Hondius Andes virus outbreak.

For more information, visit VDH’s Hantavirus Website, CDC’s Hantavirus: Current Situation website, and WHO’s website.

Ticked Off: Help your patients avoid tick bites this season

As temperatures warm up and your patients start enjoying more time outside, help them prevent tick-borne disease. Tick bite prevention resources and handouts are available both as part of a VDH tick safety communication toolkit and within the VDH Tick Prevention page.

Resources to help your patients with early recognition of tick-borne diseases are also available. While the most commonly reported tick-borne disease in Virginia is Lyme disease, other common diseases include Rocky Mountain spotted fever, ehrlichiosis, and the newly reportable Alpha-gal Syndrome.

VDH provides tick identification assistance as part of our Virginia Tick Survey, find out more here.

Preparing for the 2026 World Cup, increased travel-related disease, and measles risk

This year, summer is likely to bring a higher than usual number of travelers to Virginia. The United States, Mexico, and Canada are hosting the FIFA World Cup 2026 from June 11 to July 19. This might bring more domestic and international travelers to Washington Dulles International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Additionally, the USA 250th anniversary events around Washington, DC might bring more visitors to northern VA. Sail250 is another major event along the mid-Atlantic coast. It includes ports in Norfolk, VA; Washington, DC; and Baltimore, MD; from June to July. Measles activity is also high in Virginia and some other U.S. states or countries.

This increases the risk of travel-associated infections and outbreaks related to mass gatherings. Providers should prepare for potential increases in patient visits, travel-related diseases, measles cases, and outbreaks by:

Asking patients about travel during the 21 days before their symptoms began.

Asking if patients went to the World Cup or other large gatherings during this period. Adding the names of large events in health records can also help VDH track outbreaks at these events.

Reviewing the Virginia Reportable Disease List. This will help you know what conditions to quickly report to your local health department.

Ensuring you know how to contact your local health department, both during and outside of business hours.

Visiting VDH’s Measles Information for Healthcare Providers website. Here you can learn more about recognizing measles, testing, and reporting cases. There is also info on infection control measures to protect your patients and staff.

VDH plans to issue a Clinician Letter in the weeks ahead with more specific guidance on how you can be prepared.

Virginia Summit on Perinatal Substance Use

We would like to invite you to attend the Perinatal Substance Use Conference, sponsored by Virginia Title V and the Opioid Response Network. The conference will take place June 3–4 at Hotel Madison in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

This free event brings together partners across disciplines to strengthen collaboration and provide better support for pregnant and parenting women and their families impacted by substance use.

Who should attend:

✅ Healthcare providers (OB/GYNs, pediatricians, nurses)

✅ Behavioral health and substance use treatment professionals

✅ Social service and child welfare staff

✅ Recovery and prevention professionals

✅ Community-based organizations

✅ Judicial and legal system partners

✅ Perinatal support professionals (doulas, community health workers, home visitors, peer recovery specialists)

Attendees will engage in sessions on the science of addiction, community health approaches, and strategies to support the whole family unit. The conference will also include updates on Virginia’s strategic plan for substance-exposed infants, titled “Pathways to Coordinated Care.”

We hope you can join us June 3-4, 2026 in Harrisonburg!

Register Here

2026 Infection Prevention Education Roadshow

The Infection Prevention Educator Roadshow is back with five in-person sessions across Virginia this summer! Hosted by the VDH HAI/AR Program, this no cost one-day event offers hands-on training and practical teaching strategies for those who train healthcare workers.

💻Register for the Roadshow on TRAIN Virginia, search for Course ID: 1136620 or Title: VDH: 2026 Infection Prevention Educator Roadshow.

Strengthen Your Educator Toolkit: Built for infection preventionists, designated infection control officers, and health educators ready to grow their infection prevention teaching skills, whether you’re just getting started or looking to sharpen and refresh what you already do.

Build It as You Learn: With new hands-on exercises and more dedicated build time than ever, you’ll create ready-to-use education you can bring back and use right away.

Use It Tomorrow: Walk away with a take-home bag of practical, ready-to-use educator tools so you can confidently train your teams on infection prevention right away.

Infection Prevention Updates

Recommendations for the Routine Use of a Disinfectant Effective Against C. auris in Healthcare Settings

VDH outlines recommendations for healthcare facilities for the prevention of C. auris through the routine use of a disinfectant effective against C. auris on environmental and non-critical medical device surfaces.

Every Transfer Counts: Multidrug-Resistant Organism (MDRO) Communication Guide for Hospitals and Long-Term Care Facilities

This Resource was developed by the Virginia Healthcare-Associated Infections Advisory Group (VHAG) Annual Priority Workgroup focused on improving communication to prevent the spread of MDROs in Virginia.

Includes practical tools and best practices that support communication during patient and resident transfers across acute care hospitals and long-term acute care hospitals and long-term care facilities (nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities, ventilator-capable skilled nursing facilities). These strategies can be adapted to each facility’s workflows and resources.

Hospitals are encouraged to register for and attend a webinar on June 12th from 10-11 AM to learn more about this communication guide and information technology tools available to enhance MDRO communication and prevention.

Companion documents:

Admission Checklist - customizable for screening patients/residents during the admissions process.

MDRO Communication Quick Sheet - a one-page summary of key points from the guide.

Multidrug-Resistant Organism Trend Tracker

The case counts for carbapenemase-producing organisms (CPO) and Candida auris have been updated to include data through March 31, 2026. Key updates include:

A total of 159 CPO cases were reported to VDH from January through March 2026 with 130 clinical cases and 29 screening cases.

Carbapenemase mechanism mix shifted toward NDM, which became the dominant carbapenemase statewide: this was influenced by the high number of NDM cases reported from the Northern region.

Reported cases of OXA-48 were higher than usual: 10 cases were reported in January through March 2026 compared to 17 cases reported in all of 2025.

A total of 115 Candida auris cases were reported to VDH from January through March 2026 with 55 clinical and 60 screening cases.

Central region continues to report the highest burden: 49 cases were reported for January through March 2026.

Northern region reported an increase in cases compared to the previous quarter: 41 cases compared to 26 cases reported October through December 2025.

Based on these trends, check out the following resources: 

HAI/AR Newsletter Special Edition: Multidrug-Resistant Organism (MDRO) Prevention and Containment: reviews the coordinated response between healthcare facilities and public health when an MDRO is identified in the facility

Spotlight on Carbapenemase-Producing Enterobacterales: includes a more detailed breakdown of NDM-producing organisms and information about NDM treatment options

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