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A decade ago, the United States stood on the brink of eliminating the scourge of babies born with syphilis. Now, cases are surging, a phenomenon that is underscoring deep inequities in the nation’s health-care system and reviving concerns about a disease easily controlled with routine antibiotics. The spike, driven in part by the nation’s drug and homelessness crisis, is especially apparent across the Sun Belt, according to public health experts and data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Nirappil and Portnoy, 4/2)

The numbers of babies born with syphilis in Canada are rising at a far faster rate than recorded in the United States or Europe, an increase public health experts said is driven by increased methamphetamine use and lack of access to the public health system for Indigenous people. (Paperny, 3/31)

Feeling stressed or just not well overall? Maybe you should put down your phone. A new study, from Swansea University, found reducing your social media use by just 15 minutes a day can not only improve your general health and immune function, but also can improve symptoms of depression and loneliness. (Clanton, 3/31)

The shape of a person's heart could be a predictor of future cardiac disease, a new study from Stanford University in California found. Specifically, a heart that has a more spherical (round) shape could have a 47% higher likelihood of developing cardiomyopathy, which is a "disease of the heart muscle that makes it harder for the heart to pump blood to the rest of the body," according to the Mayo Clinic. (Rudy, 4/1)

Throughout history, brilliant minds have tried to figure out the secret behind living longer. Much of the research has credited diet and exercise, but a group of scientists expanded on previous data to suggest another theory. Researchers from Boston University and Tufts Medical Center found people who live to be 100 years old or older – called centenarians – may have a unique composition of immune cells that’s highly protective against illnesses, according to a study published Friday in the peer-reviewed journal Lancet eBiomedicine. (Rodriguez, 4/3)

A chipper-sounding Pope Francis was discharged Saturday from the Rome hospital where he was treated for bronchitis, quipping to journalists before being driven away that he’s “still alive.” Francis, 86, was hospitalized at Gemelli Polyclinic on Wednesday following his weekly public audience in St. Peter’s Square after reportedly experiencing breathing difficulties. The pontiff received antibiotics administered intravenously during his stay, the Vatican said. (D'Emilio, 4/1)