May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month, and the Central Shenandoah Health District is reminding everyone to stay alert about the dangers of ticks when heading outdoors.

On World Drowning Prevention Day, Virginia health officials are urging parents to act.

Schools are starting up in a few weeks, and school districts are helping you cross things off your child’s list.

Health officials are warning people about a raccoon in Rockbridge County that has tested positive for the rabies virus.

Following the CDC’s approval of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11, options for where kids can get the vaccine are expanding in our region.

The Central Shenandoah Health District (CSHD) will soon begin providing Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine booster shots to those eligible, effective immediately.

Here's a look at some of the stories we'll be following today as they make headlines across the country and Southwest Virginia.

Now that Virginia has approved the Pfizer vaccine for anyone 12 and older, health leaders are working hard to get shots into those arms.

The Franklin County School Board will hold an emergency meeting today. The board will discuss the Return to School plan for Franklin County High School. The Central Shenandoah Health District will provide an update today on vaccine distribution. If you want to attend Roanoke’s Monthly Budget Webinar this month, you must register by noon today. In Roanoke, city code says sidewalks should be cleared within three hours of the snow ending, or by 9 a.m.

ROANOKE, Va. Five children in Virginia have now had Multisystem Inflamitory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), according to the Virginia Department of Health. The latest case reported in the commonwealth was of a child who lives in the Central Shenandoah Health District. That health district contains Rockingham, Augusta, Rockbridge, Bath and Highland counties, as well as the cities of Harrisonburg, Staunton, Waynesboro, Lexington and Buena Vista. The other four cases reported were located in the Prince William, Alexandria and Fairfax health district. Two cases were reported in the Fairfax health district.

LEXINGTON, Va. Free coronavirus tests came to Lexington on Friday morning. The Virginia Department of Health set up a drive-thru testing site at Maury River Middle School, the first of its kind in Lexington since the pandemic began. "Its making sure those individuals who are uninsured or underinsured can get a test.VDH prepared 300 tests for the drive-thru line. "Its going to pick up if you are infected right now.The Virginia National Guard administered the tests, which took about 10 seconds to perform. The National Guard has taken more than 20,000 COVID-19 tests across the state, but this is the first instance where they have performed drive-thru tests.