Stateline

The U.S. has a shortage of the only first-line medication recommended for pregnant women with syphilis to prevent passing it to their baby.

One US-made drug treats congenital syphilis, and the country is running short • Stateline The United States has a shortage of the only first-line medication recommended for pregnant women with syphilis to prevent passing it to their baby, even as congenital syphilis rates have been skyrocketing. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says supplies won’t return to normal until December 2...

Forty-six percent of U.S. adults — regardless of insurance type — reported struggling to afford healthcare last year, according to a new report from the Urban Institute.

Nearly half of adults struggled to afford healthcare last year, survey finds • Stateline Forty-six percent of U.S. adults — regardless of insurance type — reported struggling to afford healthcare last year, according to a report released Wednesday by the Urban Institute, a nonprofit research think tank. The report analyzed findings from a December 2025 survey of 10,000 working-age a...

A flesh-eating parasite long kept out of the U.S. has now been detected in Texas and New Mexico. Our reporter Kevin Hardy has the latest on what it could mean for livestock, pets and food prices.

What you need to know about the flesh-eating New World screwworm • Stateline The New World screwworm has arrived in the United States. The flesh-eating parasite poses potentially life-threatening risks to pets, wildlife and livestock. While the risk is concentrated in a few states, experts say a massive invasion could ripple across the American economy through higher grocery...

For many incarcerated people, getting a full night's sleep is nearly impossible. Poor sleep conditions in prisons and jails can have major health and safety consequences.

In prisons and jails, a lack of sleep may harm health and safety • Stateline For many incarcerated people, getting a full night’s sleep is almost impossible. Bright lights, loud noise, overnight head counts, early morning meals and other routine features of prison and jail operations can make restorative sleep nearly impossible, according to a new report from researchers a...