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This Week In Public Health: Birth Control More Effective ... More Turning To EpiPen Refills

LookCatalog/via Flickr

This week - Birth control is working better, but is it because more effective forms of contraception are being used or because of better education? ... Can a needle exchange program in Florida curb HIV contraction rates? ... Some people who survived melanoma are still getting too much sun. ... Read on ...

Birth Control Is Working Better -- Or At Least Failing Less

Failure rates for the most common contraceptives fell from 2006-2010, according to new CDC data. Why? One expert says it's because of a combination of things, including more effective forms of birth control and more successful public health efforts to improve public knowledge about contraception, reports Sarah McCammon for NPR.

Parents Deal With A Language Barrier In Getting Kids Care

For Spanish-speaking parents, going to the doctor's office can often involve translation, and when it comes to understanding what's best for their children, that roadblock could be dangerous. For California Healthline, Ana B. Ibarra reports "Latino parents who speak only Spanish are less likely to report having a satisfactory experience with their children’s doctors than Latino parents who speak only English."

In Indiana this week: 

Overdose Deaths Continue To Mirror National Trend

Since 1999, drug overdose deaths in Indiana have gone up 570 percent, and improved access to ways to treat addiction have not yet worked.

Quick Hits

Florida leads the U.S. in new HIV infections. Can a needle exchange program help stem the tide?

A $600 pair of EpiPens or $2.50 for a refill? Tough choice.

The CDC has released health data by neighborhood for 500 cities.

A study says exercise and therapy are better than drugs for people with cancer-related fatigue.

Some survivors of melanoma are still getting too much sun.

Maryland's governor has committed $50 million over five years to combat the state's opioid epidemic.