Texas leads the nation in babies born with syphilis

Plus: Gov. Greg Abbott and Elon Musk celebrate Musk's newest Texas endeavor.

View in browser   By Cat DeLaura ⛈️ High of 86; low of 74. | 📰 Click here to view today's e-Edition Good morning, Houston. It's Tuesday.    Hope you're ready for an extra rainy week — and possible flooding.    Cat DeLaura Audience Engagement Producer cat.delaura@houstonchronicle.com Best of the Bayou Today we're talking about congenital syphilis... If you read one thing: Texas leads the nation in babies born with syphilis, and the problem is only getting worse.   By the numbers:    Nationally, congenital syphilis cases rose by 32 percent in 2021. Texas accounted for the largest share of cases, 680, and tied Mississippi for the fourth-highest rate, 182 cases per 100,000 live births. The pandemic only partially explains the surge, as cases had been increasing for years.    In Harris County, cases nearly doubled from 47 in 2017 to 104 in 2018. They rose again in 2019 to 149 and stayed relatively stable through 2021.    How does syphilis affect babies?    Congenital syphilis led to 220 stillbirths and infant deaths nationally in 2021. Babies who survive can experience severe symptoms like deformed bones, enlarged liver and spleen, meningitis and more.    While a penicillin regimen up to one month before delivery can effectively cure the infection and prevent transmission to the baby, treatment can be hard to access, especially in Texas and Harris County, where more patients struggle to access prenatal care compared to the rest of the nation.  Read Julian Gill's full story here. More from the Bayou City:  UH College of Nursing takes a new name after a $20 million gift from the Gessner family. The gift will fund three endowed professorships, plus scholarships and fellowships as the college attempts to double its pre-nursing student population within the next year. Could eating avocados lower your risk for developing type 2 diabetes? A study from Baylor College of Medicine researchers found eating avocados was associated with a 20 percent reduction in risk over a six-year period.  Stay in the Loop Susan Barber / Houston Chronicle 💼 Business: Legal answers from Lipman: Attorney Ronald Lipman explains when and how you can appeal a homestead exemption application that's been denied.  ⛱️ Get Out: Houston family's Brenham vacation property grows with four generations. In addition to the original historic home, a barn has been turned into a three-bedroom guest house, and a newer, seven-suite guest house ensured that the entire, four-generation family can be there together.  Pride Houston is skipping the festival this year. The festival will return in 2024, while the parade will continue this year.  Fox 26 morning anchor Jose Griñan announces retirement. Griñan has been with the station for 30 years. 🚗 Outside the Loop: Evacuations at Caney Creek High School blamed on fart spray prank. The prank caused two evacuations of the school and sent seven students to the hospital last week.  Lone Star College's first class of neurodiverse program students set to graduate in the Woodlands. The program fills a gap in higher education for students who struggle with executive function.  Texas Ties Gov. Greg Abbott 🤝 Elon Musk If you read one thing: Gov. Greg Abbott and Tesla CEO Elon Musk celebrated the groundbreaking of a $375 million lithium refinery Monday, praising the facility for advancing clean energy, keeping Texas independent and helping to prevent a bottleneck as Tesla ramps up prodcution.    Andrea Leinfelder reports what we know about the facility so far…    The refinery, located near Corpus Christi in the city of Robstown, is expected to be finished next year, with full production a year later. Musk said it would produce more battery-grade lithium than the rest of North America's refining capacity combined.   Abbott praised the refinery for enabling Texas to be self-reliant and "not dependent upon any foreign hostile nation for what we need."   Why is lithium important?    Lithium batteries power everything from consumer electronics to electric vehicles to grid-scale energy storage systems. However, nearly all lithium is produced outside the U.S. There are only five operational refineries in the U.S. with about 19 more being developed.  Read the full story here. More from Texas: Gov. Greg Abbott sends more troops to the border. A week after the Biden administration said it is sending more troops to the border, Abbott made a public display of doing the same.  Texas House committee passed a bill to raise the age for AR-15 rifle purchases. The bill is unlikely to become law, but the advance was a symbolic victory for gun safety advocates and Uvalde families.  Kickapoo tribe says Texas bill expanding gambling threatens their casino. The Native American tribal leaders warned they would face possible bankruptcy under the leading plan to bring Vegas-style resorts to the state.  Point of View 🗣️ Why must mothers' bodies stop the bullets? The Editorial Board wonders at the role mothers and women have played in protecting children during recent mass shootings in Texas and the role they continue to play in trying to pass gun control legislation.    🗪 Other points of views:  A Texas DEI ban would make it harder to get mental health care. Texas desperately needs more social workers, write UH professors Suzanne Pritzker and Samira Ali, but the proposed state ban would make it harder to train them. Houston vs. All Y'all Ken Ellis / Houston Chronicle NBA draft lottery prospects countdown: The NBA lottery is May 16, and the Rockets could land anywhere from first to sixth. Here's a look at the players most likely to be selected in the top six.    Will rookie C.J. Stroud start in Week 1 at the Texans? While the expectations are that he will be the starter, Texans' coaching staff want him to earn the job this offseason.    The weekend's scores: ⚾ Los Angeles Angels 6, Astros 4. Find more of our sports coverage here.  The Food Corner Houston Chronicle From Alison Cook:  Alison Cook's latest review took her to Pacha Nikkei in west Houston, where the vibe is a chic-on-a-shoestring dining room and bar good for everything from date nights to solo counter lunches.  From you:  Barbara B. recommends checking out the breakfast and lunch coffee bar Christo Mio, located in the Rice Village. She writes: "The food is wonderfully prepared and served, using local produce from farmers in the area.  The baked goods are fantastic and original, the service is great, and the ambiance is tranquil, with both inside and outside seating. I highly recommend it as a respite from the hustle and bustle of daily life in Houston."  Openings and closings:  Cafe Texan, considered the state's oldest coffee shop, has finally reopened after closing during the pandemic. It's now also home to a global museum. Houston's Street to Kitchen and Kemah's Eculent are partnering on a novel indigenous cooking restaurant, Th Prsrv. Another Japanese cheesecake store is coming to Houston — Uncle Tetsu Cheesecake will open its first-ever Texas location at the Katy Grand. Ouzo Bay, one of the showcase restaurants at River Oaks District, has closed.  What we're cooking: Anita Jaisinghani says this tart will help you fall in love with fennel. I already love fennel, so I can't wait to try it.  In case you missed it, our Editorial Board was named a Pulitzer prize finalist this year for a series of editorials about the Uvalde school massacre. Unfortunately, they remain still relevant a year later.    Cat DeLaura cat.delaura@houstonchronicle.com Do you love The 713?  Subscribe to the Houston Chronicle to support this newsletter and get other perks.    Know someone else who would like The 713? Send them here to sign up. Unsubscribe  |  Manage Preferences  |  Privacy Notice Houston Chronicle 4747 Southwest Freeway, Houston, TX 77027 © 2023 Hearst Communications