DDP E-Bulletin: September 2026

Posted on by DDP PR Coordinator

DIS Recognition Day

The fifteenth annual Disease Intervention Specialist (DIS) Recognition Day is coming up on October 2, 2026! Each year we celebrate DIS on this day and recognize the hard work their work throughout the year. This includes tackling sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention, outbreak response, partner notification, and more.

The theme for this year set by the National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD) is, “the Rhythm of Public Health.” It honors the harmony that connects collaboration, partnerships, and communities involved in disease intervention.

Between July 1, 2025 - May 31, 2026, DIS interviewed 3,096 patients and reached out to 1,274 exposed partners. This work is essential because it helps link people to vital STI testing and appropriate treatment. This in turn helps curb the transmission of syphilis, HIV and other STIs in Virginia communities.

NCSD has events planned for DIS Recognition Day, as well as toolkits available on their website.

VDH will have a social media post available for local health departments to share.

Thank you to all the DIS staff in Virginia for the caring and dedicated work they give each day on the job! Their work is crucial to protecting the health of Virginians, destigmatizing sexual health, and getting individuals needed medical treatment.

2027 Open Enrollment for VA MAP Clients

The 2027 open enrollment period is coming. Medicare open enrollment begins on October 15. ACA/Marketplace open enrollment begins November 1.

The Virginia Medication Assistance Program (VA MAP) wants clients to be ready. Initial fact sheets about open enrollment for VA MAP clients are available with important information.

 

Snapshot of HIV Continuum of Care, 2025

Virginia Continuum of Care Data, 2025, Now Available

Virginia HIV Continuum of Care data for 2025 are now available on the DDP Data and Reports webpage.

Statewide in 2025, 80% of people newly diagnosed with HIV were linked to care within 30 days, 71% of people living with HIV in Virginia had evidence of at least one care marker in the previous year, and 61% of people living with HIV were virally suppressed.

 

Virginia Medicaid Changes

There are changes coming to Virginia Medicaid because of new federal law. Virginia is committed to helping eligible Virginians stay covered so they can get the health care that they need.

Find more information on these changes and find town hall times and dates from the Department of Medical Assistance Services.

 

Medscape: STI Rates Fall by Two Thirds After Implementation of DoxyPEP Prescribing at Southern US Clinic

As DoxyPEP continues to increase in popularity as an STI prevention method, more evidence points towards its benefits in reducing STIs. Incidence of STIs at a southern US clinic fell by over 50% after initiation of DoxyPEP prescribing. This was without any changes to STI testing patterns, according to research presented in August.

Key findings included:

    • The overall incidence of STIs was 57 cases per 100 person-years prior to DoxyPEP prescribing, which fell to 19 cases per 100 person-years in the period after DoxyPEP prescribing was implemented, an approximate two-thirds drop (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 0.33, 95% CI, 0.27-0.41)
    • Declines in incidence were seen across all three STIs investigated:
      • Gonorrhea incidence was cut in half, from 26 to 13 cases per 100 person-years (IRR, 0.50).
      • Chlamydia incidence fell about 80% from 21 to 4 cases per 100 person-years (IRR, 0.19).
      • Syphilis fell from 10 to 2 cases per 100 person-years.

Read the full article about the clinic and the study on Medscape’s website.

For more information on DoxyPEP, visit our VDH DoxyPEP page.

 

New Syphilis Tools App Now Available!

A new app and web resource for clinicians, called Syphilis Tools App, is now available as part of the National STD Curriculum (NSTDC). The tool provides support for the screening, diagnosis, and management of persons with syphilis. The content of the app is based on recommendations in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Sexually Transmitted Treatment Guidelines, 2021. The app is available in both the Apple Store and Google Play environments and may also be used in the web browser.

Note that the syphilis screening guidelines included in the app are different than the Virginia syphilis screening guidelines. Please use Virginia’s syphilis screening guidelines to determine screening needs.

Screenshot of the Syphilis Tools App

 

Personnel Announcements

Welcome

HIV and Hepatitis Surveillance welcomes Connie Gordon to DDP. She joins the unit as a Medical Monitoring Project (MMP) Data Collector. She holds a Master of Public Health in the field of Epidemiology and Biostatistics from the University of South Florida. She comes to us from Loudon County Health Department where she worked as an Epidemiologist conducting communicable disease surveillance, outbreak investigations, and case interviews in Northern Virginia. She also has previous experience working as a Public Health Investigator and COVID 19 Contact Tracer. Connie can be reached at connie.gordon@vdh.virginia.gov.

Taylor Ward joins HHS and DDP as a MMP Data Collector. She holds a Master of Public Health in the field of epidemiology from Louisianna State University. She comes to us from Westat where she worked as a Research Analyst conducting descriptive epidemiologic analyses for NIH-funded chronic disease and maternal/child health initiatives. She also has previous experience working at VDH as a Program Admin Specialist and at the Louisianna Department of Health as a Surveillance Analyst Intern. Taylor can be reached at taylor.ward@vdh.virginia.gov.

DDP welcomes Jenna Hauger to our team as a MMP Data Collector. Jenna holds a Master of Public Health in the field of Research in Practice Concentration from the University of Virginia. Jenna comes to us from the Portsmouth Health Department where they worked as an Epidemiologist conducting epidemiologic investigations of reportable diseases, providing prevention education, and connecting individuals with treatment and relevant resources. Jenna also has previous experience working as an STI Data Intern in the Richmond/Henrico Health District. Jenna can be reached at jenna.m.hauger@vdh.virginia.gov.