A statewide survey for students conducted every other year monitors students’ health risks and behaviors in categories such as physical health, alcohol and tobacco use and unintended physical injury. The anonymous survey reports some concerning changes for Indiana youth since 2021.

The rate of drug overdose deaths in the country decreased by about three percent in 2023, marking the first annual decrease since 2018. Provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows the number of overdose deaths in Indiana decreased from 2022 to 2023.

Wars are fertile grounds for infectious disease outbreaks and drug resistant illnesses. We live in an interconnected world and what begins in overseas conflict zones can spill over locally. Public health experts worry as vaccine hesitancy rises in the U.S.