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Epidemiology Surveillance Report

November 2022
A Communicable Diseases Update for
Roanoke City & Alleghany Health Districts (RCAHD) Providers
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Welcome to this inaugural issue!

This issue of the Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts (RCAHD) Epidemiology Surveillance Report reflects disease activity reported through September 30, 2022 to allow time to complete investigations and develop data reports for the month.
To optimally protect the community’s health, Virginia’s healthcare professionals and laboratories are required to report over 70 conditions. The full list of reportable conditions is available on the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) website.

In each issue, we will provide a table of reportable conditions for which at least one case was reported in the districts that month. In addition, we will have at least one spotlight. 

We will also provide timely information on emerging concerns. For example, we know that our healthcare systems are currently seeing significant influenza and RSV activity. However because neither disease is reportable, unfortunately we do not have reliable local data to share. 

Please let us know what information is useful to you and how we can improve.

In this issue:
  • Summary of Reportable Diseases
  • RCAHD Spotlight: Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)
Summary of Reportable Diseases
Reportable diseases (excluding sexually transmitted infections) for which five or more cases have been reported to the Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts:
as of September 30, 2022 (fields with 1-4 cases suppressed)
RCAHD SPOTLIGHT: Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)
STIs are on the rise

Across the country, across the state, and unfortunately, across our districts, we have seen increases in many STIs, most notably in syphilis. Our 2022 RCAHD year-to-date number of cases of syphilis are already dramatically higher than our total 2021 cases. The number of RCAHD cases of gonorrhea year-to-date already approximate last year’s total cases.

Taking a more granular look at the data, RCAHD continues to see high numbers of reported cases of gonorrhea and chlamydia. Over 65% of cases impact the 20–34 year-old population.
Concerning increase in syphilis

The rise in the number of cases of syphilis has garnered attention. The greatest increase in number of cases occurred in the mid-late summer. Men who have sex with men (MSM) are at greatest risk for both monkeypox and syphilis. While monkeypox is not an STI, it has been transmitted predominantly through sexual activity. It is also important to note that while men are disproportionately impacted by syphilis, women represent almost 30% of local cases. 

We are hopeful that we will see a decrease in the number of syphilis cases as a result of the monkeypox outbreak-related education/ awareness about the importance of safer sexual practices.
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