Community Updates

Shield - Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts logo

Community Updates

Shield - Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts logo

Community Updates


This image is a stylized illustration of a scientist examining microorganisms with a magnifying glass. The scene includes test tubes with colored liquids, abstract shapes representing bacteria or viruses, and a large hand pointing from above. The color scheme is in soft blues, pinks, and grays.

Disease Defenders – How Epidemiology Protects Community Health

RCAHD Community Health Update A Roanoke City & Alleghany Health Districts publication The mission of the Epidemiology Division of the Roanoke City & Alleghany Health Districts (RCAHD) is to monitor and investigate emerging communicable diseases, investigate outbreaks, and provide guidance to stop the further spread of communicable diseases for our community’s wellbeing. To put it... Continue reading

" brain " text from paper in adult hands on pastel background. alzheimer's brain disease, brain stroke, mental health day concept.

Aging and Brain Health

RCAHD Community Health Update A Roanoke City & Alleghany Health Districts publication From the moment we are born, our brains are constantly changing. In infancy and adolescence, the neural networks in our brains experience periods of enormous growth. These brain networks are essential- they help us learn, think, remember, and organize our memories. As we... Continue reading

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Taking Care of Our Mental Health

RCAHD Community Health Update A Roanoke City & Alleghany Health Districts publication Along with the importance of physical wellbeing, mental wellbeing plays a significant role in overall health. On the one hand, when communities don’t serve residents’ mental health needs, the result can have a negative influence on homelessness, poverty, employment, safety, and the local... Continue reading

A small deer tick on skin

Fight the Bite: Tick-Borne Diseases

RCAHD Community Health Update A Roanoke City & Alleghany Health Districts publication As we enjoy another beautiful spring in Southwestern Virginia, we encourage residents to take steps to protect themselves from ticks. Sometimes tiny and hard to spot, ticks can cause serious medical problems including Lyme disease and alpha-gal food allergy, and some life-threatening diseases... Continue reading

4 bubbles depicting: a group of friends sitting in a park laughing, A covered bridge labeled "humpback bridge", The Roanoke City Farmers Market area, and a group of 4 people riding bikes.

National Public Health Week 2024

RCAHD Community Health Update A Roanoke City & Alleghany Health Districts publication During the week of April 1-7, the Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts will observe National Public Health Week. The national theme, “Protecting, Connecting and Thriving: We Are All Public Health,” emphasizes what we know is true: the community’s health improves when we... Continue reading

child having bandage placed on arm after receiving a vaccine

Stopping the Comeback of Measles

RCAHD Community Health Update A Roanoke City & Alleghany Health Districts publication Earlier this year, you may have seen media coverage about potential measles exposures at northern Virginia airports. Unfortunately, these notices may become more common as we face the realities of decreased vaccine coverage across the world. Vaccine rates significantly decreased during the pandemic,... Continue reading

Last Updated: August 21, 2023