Officials from the Virginia Department of Health are advising residents not to consume certain species of fish caught in the Occoquan Watershed.
Elevated levels of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) — a manmade chemical used in products ranging from carpet to firefighting foams — have been observed in samples of largemouth bass and bluegill sunfish collected from the waterway, health officials said today (Tuesday).
Local and state investigators continue to hunt for the identity behind skeletal remains found in Fair Lakes two decades ago.
It’s been 20 years and two days since the remains were discovered in a wooded area near the I-66 East ramp to the northbound lanes of Fairfax County Parkway on April 6, 2006.
Though DC Water has lifted its advisory warning against recreational activities on the Potomac River, Virginia health officials are remaining cautious after millions of gallons of raw sewage spilled into the water earlier this year.
The Virginia Department of Health announced yesterday (Thursday) that it has lifted a recreational water advisory for the river from Chain Bridge (Glebe Road) in Arlington to the Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge in King George County, but it remains in place for a 4.7-mile stretch upstream from Chain Bridge to the American Legion Bridge (I-495) in Fairfax County.
Please stop flushing wipes down the toilet, even if they’re labeled “flushable,” Fairfax County said in a recent message to community members.
The county’s Department of Public Works and Environmental Services urged residents late last week to avoid flushing anything other than toilet paper after a mass of non-disposable wipes clogged a regional sewer pipeline, exacerbating overflows into the Potomac River.
Another measles case has been detected in Fairfax County, this time in the Lorton area.
According to the Virginia Department of Health, an adult who recently traveled abroad has been diagnosed with measles after visiting a local grocery store and two Inova facilities, potentially exposing other people.
In addition to enduring a winter storm, anyone who shopped at Target in Reston around noon on Jan. 25 may have been exposed to measles.
The department store at 12197 Sunset Hills Road is one of five different locations in western Fairfax County visited late last month by an adult who is now confirmed to have measles, according to the Virginia Department of Health.
A measles case in Northern Virginia has raised concern about more people becoming exposed to the disease, including at the Inova Fairfax Hospital campus in Merrifield.
The Virginia Department of Health reported today (Tuesday) that a preschool-aged child who traveled internationally was confirmed to have measles. This is the third measles case reported in Virginia so far in 2026.
A preschool-aged child diagnosed with measles recently visited the medical center at Fort Belvoir, among other locations in the D.C. region, the Virginia Department of Health says.
The child, who lives in Northern Virginia, was present at the Alexander T. Augusta Military Medical Center Emergency Department and Executive Medicine Suite (9300 DeWitt Loop) at Fort Belvoir between 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m., and from 10 p.m. to midnight last Friday (Jan. 9), potentially exposing other patients, visitors and staff.
Another case of measles has been confirmed in a person who traveled through Dulles International Airport last week, state health officials say.
The individual is a resident of another state, but they passed through the airport during the afternoon of Aug. 12, potentially exposing other travelers and workers, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) announced today (Wednesday).
The Virginia Department of Health has been notified of a confirmed case of measles at Dulles International Airport and the Washington metro area earlier this month.
The patient is an international traveler visiting the D.C. area, the VDH said in a Saturday news release.
