Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio were among the states cited for rates higher than the national average 5.79 per 1,000 live births.

An Indiana researcher led a national panel that made the recommendations to the CDC about pain management and opioids.

Doctors say the disease starts off as a common cold but the virus attacks the spinal cord. There are reports that some patients have needed breathing assistance.

New data from the CDC shows only 15 percent of Hoosiers get the recommended amount of weekly physical activity.

Indiana and other Midwest states experienced a significantly increased number of overdoses at emergency departments.

Scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention used a novel disease-mapping method to study how the 2015 HIV outbreak was transmitted.

The state rose seven spots in the ranking this year, from 34th to 27th. But, it still spends only 10 percent of the $73 million the CDC recommends.

Attorney General Curtis Hill, has accused the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of manipulating facts in order to push a "pro-needle-exchange agenda."

The state has implemented just one of five CDC-recommended measures to prevent the spread of the disease through sharing contaminated needles.

The CDC reports that the national drug-related death rate has increased more than two and a half times since 1999.