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Minnesota is in the midst of what state health officials call the nation's "largest known outbreak" of TMVII, a sexually transmitted fungal skin infection that can cause severe ringworm. TMVII, or trichophyton mentagrophytes genotype VII, is the only known fungal-based sexually transmitted disease, according to the Minnesota Department of Health, and it's treatable with oral antifungals. (Swanson, 2/12)

A contingent of vaccine skeptics in the New Hampshire House of Representatives has again brought a slate of vaccine-related legislation to the State House in 2026. Some proposals go further than others. (Skipworth, 2/12)

In mid-December, Dr. Annie Andrews turned on her camera to record. The pediatrician — among a growing cohort of medical professionals who use social media to break down health care news and misinformation — had a public service announcement. (Rodriguez, 2/12)

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation calls the bill a "ransom note" after it sued the health department for failing to comply with a public records request related to altering ADAP. (Gillespie, 2/12)

CareSTL Health Centers in St. Louis closed this week after administrators were unable to pay employees, according to a social media post from the nonprofit’s leader. (Fentem and Henderson, 2/12)

The Missouri House unanimously passed a bill Thursday to prevent courts from using pregnancy status as a reason not to dissolve a marriage. It marks the fourth consecutive year lawmakers have considered the legislation. (Friedheim, 2/12)

The Missouri House passed legislation Thursday that would permanently bar doctors from prescribing puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to transgender minors, sending the bill to the Senate for approval. (Hanshaw, 2/12)

Wyoming lawmakers have advanced two bills that some say could help fill maternal care gaps. (Merzbach, 2/12)

The Wyoming House voted to introduce a bill that aims to require schools to have plans in case of cardiac emergencies. (Bonner, 2/12)

Nevada is the only state where people can legally purchase sex, and now sex workers at one of the state’s oldest brothels are fighting to become the nation’s first to be unionized. “We want the same things that any other worker wants. We want a safe and respectful workplace,” said a worker at Sheri’s Ranch in Pahrump, Nevada, who goes by the stage name Jupiter Jetson and asked that her legal name not be used for fear of harassment. Prostitution is legal at licensed brothels in 10 of Nevada’s rural counties. That doesn’t include Clark County, home to Las Vegas, though Sheri’s Ranch is about an hour’s drive away. (Hill, 2/13)

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Thursday announced he’s taking up the case of a Houston doctor disciplined by the state’s medical board last year for trying to treat a patient with ivermectin at a hospital where she did not have privileges. (Langford and Johnstone, 2/12)

A federal judge has found that the city of Los Angeles violated the constitutional rights of homeless people by seizing and destroying their personal property during cleanups. The ruling filed late Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Dale S. Fischer ended a seven-year-old case against the city without a trial. The decision hinged on Fischer’s finding that the city had altered records of the cleanups after the case was filed to make it appear that care was taken to separate personal property from trash or hazardous material. (Smith, 2/12)

At least 11 people died from cold-related illnesses as Maryland experienced freezing temperatures during the first week of February, according to data from the state Department of Health. So far this winter, the state has seen a total of 46 cold deaths. Between Feb. 1 and Feb. 7, temperatures in Maryland hovered in the high teens to mid-20s. On Feb. 1, temperatures dipped to 13 degrees. During that week, the highest temperature was 40 degrees, according to data from the National Weather Service (NWS). (Lockman, 2/12) 

As the piles of snow and ice covering the Philadelphia region begin to melt, some of the rock salt used for de-icing can end up in the drinking water supply, and that can be a concern for people on salt-restricted diets. "Salt in the waterways has been doubling about every 20 years," John Jackson, a senior scientist at Stroud Water Research Center, an independent nonprofit in Chester County, said. (Stahl, 2/12)