Prevention Matters

New York City's City Planning Commission unanimously approved a proposal to encourage the establishment of new supermarkets in areas where fresh produce is scarce and where poverty, obesity and diabetes run high. As described by the New York Times' Diane Cardwell, the proposal would offer zoning and tax incentives to spur the development of full-service grocery stores that devote a certain amount of space to fresh produce, meats, dairy and other perishables.

Any school-age child in New York City can get a free swine flu vaccination under Mayor Michael Bloomberg's plan to contain the deadly virus this fall and winter.

Bloomberg and other city officials were set to announce the multi-pronged strategy later Tuesday to fight a second, more serious wave of the virus that sickened hundreds of thousands, many in schools.

Other elements of the city's plan include tracking influenza at emergency rooms and posting that and other data on a new flu Web site. The city will also produce a daily report on public school absenteeism and schools reporting five or more cases of flu-like illness.