While U.S. policymakers struggle with efforts to stymie the resurgence of measles globally—in recent months cropping up at seemingly innocuous places like Disneyland—countries are faced with a beast of a different nature. In the United States, we are fortunate to be armed with a large supply of vaccines that have all but eliminated the most frequent killers of children under the age of 5, including smallpox, tetanus, and measles. In the developing world, however, there’s still a long way to go.
Read MoreBerkeley vs. Big Soda
This Election Day, Berkeley and San Francisco, Calif. become the latest battleground cities in line to put a sugary beverage tax on the ballot—Measure D in Berkeley and Measure E in San Francisco. To date, more than 30 similar proposals have been tried by states and localities but none have passed.
Read MoreSustaining Health through Food Stamps: Why We Need to Look to WIC to Improve SNAP
Potatoes—the Senate Appropriations Committee may haveapproved the inclusion of them this spring as part of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (known as WIC). But, while legislators and representatives from the National Potato Council hashed it out over whether to include fresh spuds on the WIC-approved food list, it’s important to remember the larger role WIC takes in influencing the diets of low-income families.
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