HIV

The U.S. has the highest rates of sexually transmitted disease cases in the industrialized world, say health trackers, with chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis reaching 2.3 million cases in 2017.

PEPFAR, the massive U.S. program that primarily battles HIV in Africa, turns 15 this year. And researchers say it has had an incredible impact.

Treatment has been a success but prevention is another story, according to a report in The Lancet. And the stigma of seeking help persists.

About a dozen states have added hepatitis C to the list of medical conditions for which people can face criminal prosecution if they knowingly engage in activities that could spread the disease.

In many parts of the world, the rate of HIV infection is declining. But not among the indigenous peoples of this Central American country.

Critics say the Trump administration failed to properly vet Dr. Robert Redfield. Sen. Patty Murray says a past research controversy suggests a "pattern of ethically and morally questionable behavior."

Public health interventions and antiviral drugs have put HIV on the ropes in the U.S. But it's unlikely that infections can be wiped out without a vaccine.

"Don't use condoms because they don't feel good," President Rodrigo Duterte suggested. The country's HIV infection rate has risen dramatically within the last decade.

Health insurer Aetna has reached a settlement with people whose privacy was compromised when their HIV status was visible through the clear address windows on envelopes sent to them.