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Scientists in South Africa and the US, along with the South African company Afrigen Biologics & Vaccines, have come up with a promising new strategy for a tuberculosis vaccine, and while there’s a long road ahead to bring the shots to market, a successful effort could yield an important new tool against the deadly pathogen. (Lisa Jarvis, 3/23)

On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced another increase in the prevalence of autism among children. In a pair of new reports — one focused on 8-year-olds and one on 4-year-olds — the CDC found that 1 out of every 36 children has autism. This is a significant increase from the 2021 estimate of 1 in 44, which was a big jump from 1 in 110 in 2006.This increase may sound scary. But as autistic adults and as parents of children with autism, we advise you to relax. There is no “epidemic of autism.” Instead, what we face is an epidemic of need. (John Elder Robison and Dena Gassner, 3/23)

The need for interpreters is most critical in medical settings. As a primary care physician in a health care center where over 25 percent of our patients do not speak English or speak limited English, my ability to provide safe and effective care often depends on interpreters. (Vidya Raju, 3/23)

Monday marked the 20th anniversary of the Iraq war, which resulted in an estimated 110,600 deaths of Iraqis and 4,431 U.S. servicemembers killed and 31,994 wounded in action across eight years. Those stark numbers cannot truly tabulate the tragedy that countless families and servicemembers have endured. But on this anniversary, it is also worth looking at something unexpected: The terrible war has led to startling advances in medical care. (Luis Alvarez, 3/24)

Fighting back against the dangerous new epidemic of nicotine vape addiction, our elected officials banned flavored e-cigarettes, but a more dangerous product slipped through the cracks and is getting our kids hooked. (Anthony Carothers, 3/23)