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New HIV infections dropped 12 percent in 2021 compared to 2017, according to new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates released Tuesday, with the biggest drops among young gay and bisexual men. But the agency warned that HIV prevention efforts need to be accelerated to reach the national goals. (Raman, 5/23)

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the United States, but there is a lack of evidence to demonstrate if the virus can be transmitted from mother to child during pregnancy. A study in JAMA Pediatrics offers new data showing that, although common in pregnancy, HPV infrequently transmits to newborns and does not persist into infancy. And another new study highlights why some parents avoid the vaccine for their children. (soucheray, 5/23)

A six-state salmonella outbreak has been linked to Papa Murphy's cookie dough, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Tuesday. At least 18 illnesses have been reported, with two hospitalizations, the CDC said. Six of the cases are in Washington state, with four each in Oregon and Idaho. The sickened patients ranged in age from 14 to 68. No deaths have been linked to eating the cookie dough. (Chasan, 5/23)

Google searches related to personal sexual orientation and gender identity have skyrocketed since 2004, according to new research.  The Cultural Currents Institute released an analysis that explored Google searches from 2004 to this month that included searches for questions such as “am I gay”, “am I lesbian”, “am I trans” and “how to come out”, as well as searches for “nonbinary.” The new analysis found that searches for these phrases jumped by more than 1,300 percent during that period. (Sforza, 5/23)

Constance Guthrie is not yet dead, but her daughter has begun to plan her funeral. It will be, Jessica Guthrie says, in a Black-owned funeral home, with the songs of her ancestors. She envisions a celebration of her mother’s life, not a tragic recitation of her long decline. As it should be. Constance has lived 74 years, many of them good, as a Black woman, a mother, educator and businesswoman. But she will die of Alzheimer’s disease, a scourge of Black Americans that threatens to grow far worse in coming decades. (Stafford, 5/23)

�������ýҕ�l Health News: Domestic Violence Shelters Move Out Of Hiding 

Sara Young packed a bag of essentials, gathered her kids, and fled her home to a refuge: an old, green house that blended in with the neighborhood in this southwestern Montana city. Nothing about the house identified it as a domestic violence shelter — it was hidden in plain sight. Young wasn’t allowed to give anyone the address. The secrecy made her feel safe. But her roommate, a young mom, struggled to care for her baby without her family there to help. Some residents couldn’t get to work because they didn’t have a car. Several housemates tried to sneak out at night for a break from curfews, locked windows, and alarm systems. “We were there because we needed to be kept safe,” Young said. “For me, it was comfortable. For them, it felt like being in prison.” (Houghton, 5/24)

�������ýҕ�l Health News: As Water Levels Drop, The Risk Of Arsenic Poisoning Rises

When John Mestas’ ancestors moved to Colorado over 100 years ago to raise sheep in the San Luis Valley, they “hit paradise,” he said. “There was so much water, they thought it would never end,” Mestas said of the agricultural region at the headwaters of the Rio Grande. Now decades of climate change-driven drought, combined with the overpumping of aquifers, are making the valley desperately dry — and appear to be intensifying the levels of heavy metals in drinking water. (Bailey, 5/24)

Over nearly four decades, Mr. Hoyt and his father, Dick Hoyt, became celebrated fixtures of the Boston Marathon — with a bronze statue of the duo known Team Hoyt dedicated in 2013 near the marathon’s starting point where they first set off in 1980. ... A family statement said Mr. Hoyt died of respiratory complications. His father died of heart-related problems in 2021. (Murphy, 4/23)