Grace Reibel - VDH Weeks 7-10

Here's my update on weeks 7–10 working at the Virginia Department of Health under the supervision of the Epidemiology team!

Week 7: This week, we had the amazing opportunity to shadow a local health department's tick and mosquito surveillance efforts. It was exciting to compare the surveillance methods used at the state and local health department levels. We also observed how the team responded to a positive test for West Nile virus, including treating local waterways with larvicide to help prevent further mosquito breeding and reduce the risk of further positive tests.

Week 8: This week brought a lot of rain, which made it difficult for me to complete my tick drags. Instead, I spent time analyzing data and continued meeting with leaders from different departments within the Epidemiology team. These meetings have allowed me to expand my professional network while gaining a broader understanding of the many areas and initiatives within epidemiology.

Weeks 9 and 10: During my final two weeks, I completed the tick drags at my site and analyzed all of the data I had collected to identify trends. Unfortunately, the frequent rain throughout the summer made it impossible to conduct drags consistently each week. Despite this, I was still able to observe some differences in tick counts based on factors such as temperature and time of day. I was sad to see the internship come to an end, but I am incredibly grateful for the experience, the knowledge I gained, and the opportunity to work alongside such an amazing team.

Tick box used while shadowing a local health department





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