Sweetgreen Temporarily Closed in Reston Town Center — Sweetgreen has temporarily closed its location at 1824 Library Street because of water damage. The company expects to reopen its doors soon, but no word yet on exactly when that might happen. [Sweetgreen]
Reston Multicultural Festival Returns Later This Month — After a pause last year due to the pandemic, the Reston Multicultural Festival is back this year on Sept. 25. Organized by Reston Community Center, the festival will include arts and crafts, entertainment, food, a global market and family activities. [RCC]
State Issues Notice About Measles Cases in Northern Virginia — Five people were diagnosed with measles in the area, prompting the Virginia Department of Health to issue an alert about possible exposure. The individuals recently traveled from Afghanistan. Most U.S. residents receive measles vaccinations during childhood. [Virginia Department of Health]
Reston Company Announces Merger — Reston-based education technology giant Blackboard is merging with a Florida-based software company called Anthology. The terms of the deal were not publicly disclosed. [Technical.ly]
Possible Measles Exposures Under Investigation — Three individuals who recently arrived in Northern Virginia through Dulles International Airport as part of the Afghanistan evacuation have been diagnosed with measles, state health officials say. The risk to the general community is considered low, but anyone not vaccinated against the measles who was at the airport or certain other locations during specific time frames listed in the news release should contact their health provider. [VDH]
Police Arrest Man at Lake Anne Plaza — Fairfax County police arrested an Alexandria man found lying on the ground in the 1600 block of Washington Plaza on Thursday (Sept. 9) after discovering that he had narcotics, multiple rounds of ammunition, and a firearm. He was charged with two counts of being a felon in possession of ammunition, carrying a concealed weapon, and possession of schedule IV narcotics. [FCPD]
Reston Contractor Protests Army Award — CACI International, which moved its headquarters to Reston over the summer, filed a contract protest against the federal government last week over awards issued by the U.S. Army. Few details about the case are known, because CACI’s federal subsidary requested that the records be sealed because they contain “confidential and proprietary information.” [Washington Business Journal]
See Herndon Fire Station Raise Flag for 9/11 — “Station 36, Frying Pan, A-Shift presenting the colors at a 9-11 ceremony in Herndon earlier today. Beautiful! #NeverForget #FCFRD” [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department/Twitter]
Health officials are warning people in Northern Virginia that they may have been exposed to an individual with measles.
The individual visited several locations in the area, according to the the Virginia Department of Health.
In a release, the department detailed possible exposure locations and times:
- Dulles International Airport in Terminal A and Baggage Claim level on Sunday, June 2, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
- Novant Health UVA Health System Haymarket Medical Center, 15225 Heathcote Boulevard, Haymarket, VA in the emergency department on Sunday, June 2 at 11 p.m. through early Monday, June 3 at 4:30 a.m.
- Inova Fair Oaks Hospital, 3600 Joseph Siewick Drive, Fairfax, VA in the emergency department, including the waiting area, on Tuesday, June 4 from 3 to 5:30 p.m.
State officials offered the following advice if individuals believe they were at the above locations during the specified times:
If you have received two doses of a measles containing vaccine (either the measles, mumps and rubella [MMR] vaccine or a measles only vaccine which is available in other countries) you are protected and do not need to take any action.
If you have received only one dose of a measles containing vaccine, you are very likely to be protected and your risk of being infected with measles from any of these exposures is very low. However, to achieve complete immunity, contact your health care provider about getting a second vaccine dose.
If you have never received a measles containing vaccine nor had a documented case of measles, you may be at risk of getting measles from this exposure. Contact your local health department or health care provider for advice on possible intervention to decrease your risk of becoming infected or other precautions you need to take. If you notice the symptoms of measles, stay home and away from others and immediately call your primary health care provider or health department to discuss further care. Call ahead before going to the office or the emergency room and tell them that you were exposed to measles.
Measles is a highly contagious virus that spreads easily through coughing in sneezing. Its bacteria thrive in the air for two hours.
Over the last decade, the incidence of measles has spiked. In the first five months of this year alone, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cited 971 cases — the largest number of cases in the United States since 1994.
Photo via Michael Schiffer/Unsplash
Warm up with a run — Join the Reston Runners tonight at 6:30 p.m. for a 50-minute run/walk starting at Reston Town Center. [Reston Runners]Â
Holiday book sale — The Reston Friends Holiday Book Sale starts today at 10 a.m. and continues through the weekend at the Reston Regional Library. [Reston Library Friends]
Reston executive is a winner — Jay Shah, the executive vice president for healthcare and commerce for Octo Consulting Group, was recognized as a 2019 FedHealthIT 100 award winner, marking his second time receiving the award. The FedHealthIT 100 honors individuals recognized for driving change and advancement in the Federal Health Information Technology Market. [Business Wire]
Measles reported in Virginia — As cases of measles increase across the country, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have confirmed that Virginia is one of 26 states hit. [Reston Patch]
(Updated, Feb. 11, 2:55 p.m.)Â
Fairfax County Department of Health officials said Wednesday the suspected measles case turned out to be negative.
The county announced on Tuesday it was investigating a possible case of measles in a Fairfax County resident. Health officials identified  potential exposure sites, and the individual is in self-isolation at home. The test to confirm the  case would take 24 hours to complete, they said.
The county did not say where in the county the resident lives.
More than 100 cases of measles have been diagnosed in 23 states in 2015, says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. That marks a rapid increase in this country of a disease that was considered eradicated 15 years ago. CDC officials have said pockets of residents who refuse vaccinations are causing the rise.
From the county health department:
People who have received at least one dose of measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine in the past are at very low risk of being infected with measles. Measles is easily preventable through safe and effective MMR vaccine. The best protection against future measles cases is the on-time vaccination of all susceptible people.
Measles is a highly contagious illness that is spread through coughing, sneezing and contact with secretions from the nose, mouth and throat of an infected individual. Measles symptoms usually appear in two stages. In the first stage, most people have a fever of greater than 101 degrees, runny nose, watery red eyes and a cough. The second stage begins around the third to seventh day when a rash begins to appear on the face and spreads over the entire body.
Fairfax County Public Schools require students to have the MMR vaccine. However, families can take a medical or religious exemption from the requirement. In a story last week, Reston Now outlined how many area children currently take the exemption.
While no cases of measles have been diagnosed in Fairfax County recently, the discussion of state-mandated vaccines is a hot topic this week.
More than 100 people have been diagnosed with the disease in the last month. At least 90 of the cases were believed to have begun when a person contagious with the disease visited Disneyland.
The measles vaccine has been commonplace since the mid-1960s. Prior to the 1960s, nearly 4Â million Americans under age 15 contracted the disease annually, says the United States Centers for Disease Control. The CDC had considered measles in the U.S. eradicated in 2000.
But last year the CDC reported 54 people in the U.S. have reported being infected with measles in January and February alone.Â
While most people recover well, measles can lead to ear infection, pneumonia, seizures, brain damage, and death, says the CDC.
Nearly 95 percent of kindergartners nationwide were vaccinated against measles, according to the CDC. However, 48 states allow for exemptions for medical or religious reasons.
Mississippi and West Virginia, the two states that allow only medical exemptions to vaccination, have had no measles cases this year.
Virginia is among the states that allow for medical or religious exemptions.
In Fairfax County, students are required to have a long list of vaccinations, including measles, mumps, rubella (MMR), polio, Hepatitis B, tetanus and whooping cough, among others.
Students must show vaccination proof to enter kindergarten and again to enter sixth grade, unless they opt out for religious or medical reasons. There is also a small number of “conditionally enrolled” students whose records are in the process of being obtained.
In 2011, the medical journal Pediatrics said that one in 10 parents don’t vaccinate within a vaccine schedule recommended by the CDC. About 13 percent either delayed, skipped or made up their own vaccine schedule.
In Fairfax County, the majority follow the vaccination guidelines, said an FCPS spokesman. The Virginia Department of Health has a tool to break down immunization records by school.
Here is how Reston schools stack up with overall vaccinations, according to the Virginia Department of Health.
Virginia Department of Health officials say a person with measles may have visited several spots in the Reston and Herndon area last week, possibly exposing people to the illness.
The discovery of the person with measles came after health officials in Loudoun and Fairfax Counties confirmed last month that an infected person may have been contagious while visiting several area locations in the Chantilly and South Riding area between April 23 and May 1.
The second case has been confirmed in a person in close contact with the first case.
The latest exposures occurred between May 11 and May 15 at many locations from Fairfax County to Montgomery County, Md. Health officials said people who have received at least one dose of measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine are at very low risk of being infected with measles from any of these exposures.
Among the Reston-area locations:
- Starbucks, 2407 Centreville Rd., Herndon. Monday, May 12 between 7:10 and 10:20 a.m.
- Nysmith School for the Gifted, 13625 Eds Dr., Herndon. Tuesday, May 13 between 1:30 and 5:30 p.m, and same hours on Wednesday, May 14.
- Life Time Athletic, 1757 Business Center Dr., Reston. Wednesday, May 14 between 8:20 a.m and 12:45 p.m.
For additional locations in surrounding areas, see the Virginia Department of Health website.
Measles is a highly contagious illness that is spread through coughing, sneezing, and contact with secretions from the nose, mouth, and throat of an infected individual, say Virginia Department of Health officials.
Measles symptoms usually appear in two stages. In the first stage, most people have a fever of greater than 101 degrees, runny nose, watery red eyes and a cough. The second stage begins around the third to seventh day when a rash begins to appear on the face and spreads over the entire body. Based on these dates of exposure, anyone infected with the measles virus may develop symptoms as late as June 5.
For people who are not vaccinated and who may have been exposed, the VDH offers this advice.
- Preventive treatment may be available for those who were at the exposure sites on May 15 only. The preventive treatment is particularly important for high risk individuals (e.g., pregnant women, infants under the age of one, and immunosuppressed people). However, this preventive treatment must be administered today, May 21, to be effective. Please call 1-877-275-8343 as soon as possible to be assessed for exposure risk.
- If you have never received MMR vaccine, you may be at risk of measles. Monitor your health and if you notice symptoms of measles (see below), immediately isolate yourself in your home to limit your exposure to others and call your primary health care provider to discuss further care.
- Call ahead before going to the doctor’s office or the emergency room and tell them that you were exposed to measles.