180: the modest cost of saving lives

I thought this opinion piece, featured in Lebanon's Daily Star newspaper today, was both thought-provoking and encouraging. It documents the kinds of interventions that can be made, at relatively little cost, to improve nutrition and well-being in the poorest communities of the world. Things like deworming, iodinized salt and vitamin-enriched basic foodstuffs (reminding me of RTBH post 118, on the role of vitamin and mineral supplements in preventing severe malaria) that have been proven in some settings but are not yet universal. These fundamentals cost a few cents per person per year, but could go a long way to reducing malnutrition if effectively and comprehensively promoted. This reminder - that we can and should do better in tackling hunger - is even more relevant now, with food shortages fueling price increases across the globe. For a limited investment in tackling malnutrition, a good deal of hope could be generated.