As bird flu cases continue to rise in the U.S., UVA Health infectious diseases expert Dr. Patrick Jackson provided insights into the latest developments and potential risks during a media briefing. With over 60 confirmed human cases nationwide and recent detections in birds across Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware, concerns about the virus’s spread have resurfaced.

Jackson reassured the public that while the presence of bird flu in Virginia is noteworthy, it does not significantly change the risk level for humans. “We’ve known for a long time that H5N1 influenza, in its current strain, is widely distributed in wild bird populations,” he said. “The fact that it’s been detected in poultry operations in Virginia was something we expected to happen sooner or later.”

A new strain, H5N9, was recently detected on a California duck farm, raising questions about its implications. Dr. Jackson explained that while this strain appears less virulent than H5N1, multiple circulating influenza strains increase the possibility of viral mutations. “Every time you have co-circulating strains of influenza, you give the virus a chance to reshuffle its genome and possibly become more transmissible,” he noted.

Human Risk and Precautions

So far, human cases of bird flu in the U.S. have primarily been linked to direct contact with infected animals. According to Dr. Jackson, individuals most at risk include agricultural workers, poultry farm employees, backyard chicken owners, and hunters handling wild birds. “People who have backyard flocks should be very aware of their chickens’ health and take precautions when dealing with sick or dead animals,” he advised.

For the general public, however, the risk remains low. “If you don’t come into contact with cattle or birds regularly, there’s nothing you need to change about your daily routine to protect yourself,” he said.

Jackson also addressed concerns about the potential impact on the food supply. While avian influenza has led to rising egg prices due to mass culling of infected poultry, he reassured consumers that pasteurized milk remains safe. “We know that the virus is highly concentrated in raw cow milk, but pasteurization effectively inactivates it,” he explained. However, he cautioned against consuming raw milk, citing instances where cats became ill after exposure.

Communication and Monitoring Challenges

Some reporters raised concerns about delays in CDC updates regarding avian influenza. Jackson acknowledged the uncertainty, emphasizing the importance of real-time communication from health agencies. “We need CDC working closely with state and local health departments to monitor what’s happening in wild bird populations and among cattle,” he stated.

One major source of public health information, the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), has not published an issue since January 2. “This report is essential for tracking foodborne outbreaks and infectious diseases, including avian influenza. The current pause in updates creates a gap in information,” Dr. Jackson said.

What to Watch For

While bird flu remains primarily an animal health issue, Jackson noted that the biggest red flag for a human pandemic would be sustained human-to-human transmission. “Right now, we haven’t seen that. The infections that have occurred in humans have been isolated cases from direct contact with animals,” he said. However, he warned that the situation could change rapidly: “There is no bright line between where we are now and the onset of human-to-human transmission. That could happen never, or it could happen tomorrow.”

For now, he advised those in close contact with birds or cattle to follow CDC protective measures and hygiene guidelines. “Being aware of the risks and taking appropriate precautions is key,” he said.

UVA Health, which operates Prince William Medical Center in Manassas and Haymarket Medical Center in Prince William County, continues to monitor the evolving situation.

The UVA Health Prince Wiliam Medical Center in Manassas has earned a top spot in the U.S. News & World Report list of Best Hospitals for Maternity Care, a recent press release stated.

The hospital system’s Manassas campus received a “high-performing” rank from the publication, the highest recognition a hospital can receive. U.S. News & World Report highlighted the hospital’s low unnecessary Cesarean section and newborn complication rates and saw it as a birthing-friendly facility.

“I am incredibly proud to have our teams once again recognized for their hard work and unwavering dedication to providing exceptional healthcare to the families of our communities,” said Michelle Strider, chief nursing officer of UVA Health’s community medical centers and clinics in Northern Virginia and Culpeper. “Our teams consistently give their best in our labor and delivery, mother-baby, and neonatal intensive care units. We are deeply committed to offering the highest level of care in the most advanced community care environments, inspiring hope from the very start for our newest little Virginians.” “

Nearly 63% of babies born at the hospital were exclusively breastfed or fed breast milk during their hospital stay, which is above both regional and national averages.

“The average in the South is 38.8% and the national average is 49%. Feeding breast milk boosts an infant’s immune system and brain development and may protect against allergies, asthma, obesity and other conditions,” the U.S. News & World Report’s page said.

According to a press release from the hospital, the Manassas campus delivered 1,932 babies in 2024 and admitted 238 babies for care in the newborn intensive care unit.

“Rankings only catch a glimpse of the daily exceptional work performed by our maternity teams,” Keisha Walker, director of women’s and children’s services, UVA Health Prince William Medical Center, said. “I am incredibly proud of the consistency and dedication our team demonstrates every day, providing care during a time that is both exciting and, at times, overwhelming for our patients and their families. This well-deserved recognition reflects our ongoing mission to deliver superior healthcare to people of all ages.”

The Prince William Medical Center joins several other facilities in Virginia that were ranked as “high-performing,” including UVA Health’s Culpeper Medical Center, VCU Medical Center in Richmond, Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Inova Fair Oaks Hospital in Fairfax and the Sentara Princess Anne Hospital in Virginia Beach.

UVA Health Prince William Medical Center announced the first baby born at its Hylton Family Women’s and Children’s Center in 2025, marking a heartwarming start to the new year.

Miranda Cormack, the proud mother, welcomed her son, Colson James Cormack, at 2:43 a.m. on January 1, 2025. Colson weighed in at seven pounds and four ounces and measured 20 inches long. He was delivered by Dr. Victor R. Khayat, with assistance from nurse Kiani Hudgens, RN, and a dedicated team of medical staff, according to a press release.

According to the press release, the delivery team shared their excitement in welcoming the first baby of the year, playing a special role in this milestone for the Cormack family. Colson will reside with his family in Warrenton, where they are looking forward to new adventures and memories in the year ahead.

“It was great bringing in the new year with a new baby and with the best nurses—Kiki, Nikki, Rory, Stacey, and Tamesha,” said Miranda. “All the doctors were amazing as well, and I couldn’t ask for a better start to the year.”

Updated 1:20 p.m. — UVA Health says its medical centers in our region are affected by the global CrowdStrike computer outage. The firm operates hospitals in Manassas, Haymarket, and Culpeper.

From UVA Health:

UVA Health is being impacted by a worldwide system outage affecting computers that run on Microsoft Windows. As a result, UVA Health is operating on a modified schedule Friday, July 19. Some ambulatory clinics will be closed today. Patients and team members can find the latest schedule updates at uvahealth.com/status.

Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center in Woodbridge and its ancillary regional offices usually operate.

We are closely monitoring the IT outage linked to the cybersecurity company CrowdStrike.

Sentara does not utilize CrowdStrike so our IT systems are not directly impacted.

However, we are currently in the process of evaluating the impact on third-party providers and partner organizations who do work with this vendor.

Normal operations remain in process at Sentara hospitals and facilities.
Meanwhile, flights were grounded across the country due to the outage, affecting Windows operating system computers.

Mary Washington Healthcare, which operates hospitals in Stafford County and Fredericksburg, is not affected.

There has been no word yet from Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center.

Meanwhile, the computer outage has not affected local government operations in our region.

Representatives from governments in Prince William and Stafford counties and Manassas and law enforcement agencies in the counties tell us it’s business as usual.

Virignia Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued this statement:

Amidst the global tech outages, overnight we have conducted an initial assessment to determine impacts across government agencies and departments for functionality,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin. “Critical health and safety systems, including 911 call systems and transportation infrastructure, are operational. However, airlines continue to experience significant disruptions. The assessment determined that government administrative functions are experiencing disruptions, and we are coordinating with local, regional and federal authorities and private sector critical infrastructure partners in order to reestablish normal operations. As a result of the administrative disturbances, Virginians may experience delays and we ask everyone to remain patient as we work to remedy and reestablish the high standards that Virginians deserve.

Photo: Photo by Irvan Smith on Unsplash

UVA Health Prince William Medical Center is gearing up to celebrate a significant milestone: its 60th anniversary on June 22, 2024. This commemoration marks six decades of unwavering dedication to providing healthcare services to the Prince William County community. 

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Once a free-standing emergency department in 2014, Haymarket Medical Center marks 10 years today, March 25, 2024.

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UVA Health Prince William Medical Center in Manassas, home of the county’s only NICU, is now participating in UVA Health’s telemedicine program with UVA Health Children’s Hospital in Charlottesville.

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UVA Health Prince William Medical Center: "Michelle Strider, RN, BSN, MBA, CPHQ, has been named Chief Nursing Officer of UVA Community Health. Michelle has served as interim Chief Nursing Officer since July 2023, after the unexpected passing of previous Chief Nursing Officer, Barbara Hocking."

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Police said a woman stole an ambulance from UVA Health Prince William Medical Center in Manassas.

From the police report:

Stolen Vehicle | 8700 Sudley Rd (UVA Health Prince William Medical Center)

On March 15, 2023, at approximately 9:00 p.m. Manassas City Police responded to the 8700 block of Sudley Rd., in the City of Manassas for report of a stolen vehicle. UVA Health Prince William Medical Center reported that an ambulance was stolen from a medical transport company. The vehicle was tracked via GPS to the Coverstone subdivision in Prince William County where the vehicle and suspect were located. The suspect was arrested and the ambulance was recovered without incident by Prince William County Police.

Arrested: Grand Larceny Auto 33-year-old Feben Nigatu of Manassas. Court date pending, no bond