About 4 in 10 of the more than 42 million Americans who get Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits are children under 18. This food aid helps their families buy groceries…
Tag: Public health
Canada loses its official ‘measles-free’ status – and the US will follow soon, as vaccination rates fall
In the wake of a measles outbreak in Canada that has infected thousands of people over the past year, an international health agency revoked the country’s measles-free status on Nov.…
Health headlines can be confusing
Every week of 2025 seems to bring a new health headline, whether it’s about climbing autism rates, changing vaccination recommendations or unexpected cancer risks. For people trying to make informed…
How autism rates are rising – and why that could lead to more inclusive communities
I can say from personal experience that being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder can feel very isolating. Increasingly, however, it’s not unusual. In the U.S., 1 in 31 children are…
HIV rates are highest in the American South, despite effective treatments – a clash between culture and public health
The American South has the highest HIV rates in the country, accounting for more than half of new HIV diagnoses nationwide in 2023. This is despite growing availability of a…
Zombies, jiangshi, draugrs, revenants − monster lore is filled with metaphors for public health
Imagine a city street at dusk, silent save for the rising sound of a collective guttural moan. Suddenly, a horde of ragged, bloodied creatures appear, their feet shuffling along the…
Flu season has arrived – and so have updated flu vaccines
As the autumn’s cool weather settles in, so does flu season – bringing with it the familiar experiences of sniffles, fever and cough. Every year, influenza – the flu –…
Calling deaths ‘preventable’ can obscure barriers to health care access and shift blame to individuals
Each year in the U.S., tens of thousands of deaths are categorized as “preventable” — meaning, in theory, they did not need to happen. A missed cancer screening, a fatal…
COVID-19 vaccines for kids are mired in uncertainty amid conflicting federal guidance
It’s August, and parents and caregivers are frantically preparing their kids for a new school year by buying supplies, filling out forms and meeting teachers. This year, many parents also…
How 17M Americans enrolled in Medicaid and ACA plans could lose their health insurance by 2034
The big tax and spending package President Donald Trump signed into law on July 4, 2025, will cut government spending on health care by more than US$1 trillion over the…
