Health Check

This week, we’re looking at examples of innovative thinking in medicine. A new, non-invasive device could help people with paralysis to regain movement. And as Namibia passes a critical milestone, we look back on one of the biggest developments in preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

Also on the programme, an update on the Korean doctors’ strike, and a summit looks to tackle the often-overlooked problem of indoor air pollution.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Margaret Sessa-Hawkins Editor: Holly Squire

We look at the reasons behind a recent surge in Whooping cough cases in Europe and Asia. Also on the program: why are women more susceptible to heat-related mortality, the small patches that could revolutionise vaccines, and the recent Northern Lights sightings have us looking at the psychology of awe.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Panellist: Smitha Mundasad Producer: Margaret Sessa-Hawkins

A research center in Sudan had brought hope for neglected disease mycetoma, we hear from a mycetoma expert how the conflict has affected research. Also on the show, have researchers discovered a genetic form of Alzheimer’s, and for the first time an orangutan is seen making a medicine to treat its own wound – what can this tell us about the history of human medication?

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Margaret Sessa-Hawkins

There's been a lot of coverage in the media around the world about the mental health difficulties facing boys, but looking at figures for mental health problems in children and teens, there's clearly something going on with girls too. For some years, research has shown more girls are experiencing problems than boys, with a troubling spike in difficulties showing up in the late teens.

On today's programme, Claudia Hammond explores the issue with a variety of guests. She visits King's College London's (KCL) Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience to speak to Gemma Knowles, a lecturer in epidemiology and youth mental health; Craig Morgan, professor of social epidemiology and co-director of ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Health; and Valeria Mondelli, a clinical professor of psychoneuroimmunology - about their work with young people, trying to uncover the deeper causes and to find new solutions.

She also hears from some of the young people involved in a major study into mental health, conducted by the team at KCL and spanning nearly a decade.

Claudia is joined by Dr Linda Blair, a clinical psychologist, who uses her own professional experiences to discuss the trends and challenges of youth mental health.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Dan Welsh

After a number of incidents around the world so far this year that have left dozens of flyers needing hospital treatment, we look at how a rise in air turbulence because of global warming is leading to more and more injuries to passengers.

Professor Paul Williams from the University of Reading in the UK tells us why turbulence is so hard to plan for, how new technology might be able to help solve the problem, and how despite an increase in incidents it’s still incredibly rare to experience extreme turbulence./

Claudia Hammond is also joined by Monica Lakhanpaul, Professor of Integrated Community Child Health at University College London, to look at how a shortage of HPV vaccines is leading to millions of girls across Africa missing out on receiving the shots.

Monica also tells us about her new research on the barriers children with epilepsy are facing being able to exercise.

We also explore what it’s like for people that don’t have an inner monologue and can’t imagine sounds – a phenomenon known as anauralia.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Dan Welsh

After a 50% jump in meningitis cases reported across Africa last year, Nigeria is becoming the first country to roll out a new 5-in-1 meningitis vaccine. The Men5CV vaccine protects people against five strains of the meningococcus bacteria.

Claudia Hammond is joined by New Scientist medical journalist Clare Wilson to discuss how it’s hoped the treatment will help significantly reduce cases of the disease.

We also head to Brazil to hear how the country is dealing with long Covid, four years after the pandemic.

Clare also tells Claudia about the new cancer treatment testing different drugs on thousands of miniature tumours to see which of them works best. The team behind the research at Florida International University in Miami say they hope it could eventually be used routinely for everyone with cancer.

We also get a new update from British journalist Mike Powell, as we follow his journey after receiving a kidney transplant.

And Claudia and Clare look at how patches of skin grafted onto people receiving lung transplants are being used as a way of spotting organ rejection in a new trial.

Image Credit: Martin Harvey

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Dan Welsh

Claudia Hammond presents a special edition of Health Check from the Northern Ireland Science Festival, where she’s joined by a panel of experts to discuss the psychology of hope.

With a live audience in Belfast’s Metropolitan Arts Centre, Claudia speaks to Dr Karen Kirby, senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Ulster; Dr Kevin Mitchell, associate professor of genetics and neuroscience at Trinity College Dublin; and author Sinéad Moriarty.

Topics include the role of hope in medical scenarios, if we can learn to be hopeful, and how we can hold onto hope in the modern world. We also hear questions from our audience, including whether or not we should all just lower our expectations.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Dan Welsh

As the recent surge in cases of dengue fever continues across Latin America and the Caribbean, Puerto Rico declares a public health emergency.

Claudia Hammond is joined by Professor of Global Health and Epidemiology at Boston University, Matt Fox, to hear how warmer temperatures have lead to outbreaks of the mosquito-borne disease around the world, with millions of cases reported so far this year.

We speak to the artist Jason Wilsher-Mills at his latest exhibition inspired by his childhood experiences of disability, and hear the role it played in his journey into the arts.

Claudia and Matt discuss the spread of mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with cases reported in all but 3 of the country’s 26 provinces.

We hear from Uganda about the project hoping to help provide essential equipment for safe anaesthesia in children’s surgery.

And the study that says just two nights of broken sleep are enough to make us feel years older.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Dan Welsh

The latest on the first procedure to transplant a kidney from a pig into a living patient. Claudia Hammond is joined in the studio by Dr Graham Easton to hear how the organ was genetically modified to reduce the risk of it being rejected following a four hour surgery in Massachusetts in the US.

We also hear about the data that’s linked working outdoors in sunlight to non-melanoma skin cancer. The report from the World Health Organisation and the International Labour Organization says one in three deaths from this type of skin cancer is caused by ultraviolet radiation from outdoor work.

Claudia and Graham also discuss new research from India that’s found working in extreme heat can double the risk of stillbirth and miscarriage for pregnant women. It’s also calling for more advice for working pregnant women around the world.

We go to Cameroon to hear about the medicines being sold to passengers on buses, despite there being no evidence they actually work.

And we hear how some reporting over claims that intermittent fasting is linked to an increased risk of heart-related death may have jumped the gun.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Dan Welsh

(Photo: Operating theatre. Credit: Getty Images)

Most people with Covid-19 make a full recovery within 12 weeks, but some patients have experienced ongoing symptoms for much longer. This has become known as ‘long Covid’. However, new research suggests that the rates of ongoing symptoms and functional impairment after Covid are indistinguishable from other post-viral illnesses, and that long Covid may have appeared to be a distinct and severe illness because of high volumes of Covid-19 cases during the pandemic. Presenter Claudia Hammond is joined in the studio by BBC Health reporter Philippa Roxby to discuss the findings. If long Covid is not unique, could this new spotlight encourage research that would help sufferers of other post-viral conditions?

The use of heart pacemakers have become a standard procedure in many countries. Pacemakers are small electrical devices implanted in the chest that send electrical pulses to the heart to keep it beating regularly and not too slowly. The devices can be lifesaving for some people. But devices can malfunction, there can be problems with leads and the batteries in them don’t last forever. Over half of all pacemaker patients live long enough to require a battery replacement operation, which carries a risk of serious complications including life-threatening infection. This can have big cost implications for health systems and devastating consequences for patients. Reporter Hannah Fisher attends one of these operations to find out more.

An initiative to make the right to abortion part of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights has been introduced to the European Parliament. This comes on the heels of France making abortion a constitutional right earlier this month, in stark contrast to the removal of abortion as a constitutional right in the USA in 2022. We assess the initiative’s chances of success and discuss the ripple effect of US politics on abortion rights across the rest of the world.

Amputees who use prosthetic limbs have to get used to the fact that they do not experience the sensations that they were previously used to. But now researchers in Italy and Switzerland have developed a temperature-sensitive robotic hand that allows amputees to discriminate between objects of different temperatures and sense bodily contact with other humans. Solaiman Shokur of École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne tells Claudia how it works.

And Philippa brings the story of Paul Alexander, a polio survivor who spent most of his life inside an iron lung. An iron lung is a metal cylinder enclosing the body up to the neck, with bellows to force the lungs to inflate and deflate. The device has been obsolete since the 1960s, but he continued to use his until he died recently. 72 years after Paul contracted polio, we look at how the disease has nearly been eradicated worldwide.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Ben Motley and Margaret Sessa-Hawkins

(Photo: Man in bed. Credit: Catherine Falls Commercial/Getty Images)

The toxic mineral asbestos is still mined across the world, despite it’s much documented links to cancer. Now there are promising results from a new global study into one of the most aggressive types of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos.

Also on the programme, we receive an exciting update from Mike, who has gotten a long-awaited kidney transplant, and we discuss new treatment protocols for Hepatitis B and how they could better serve people in southern and eastern Africa.

More than one billion people in the world are now living with obesity. The number of people who are underweight has also fallen according to a new global study, but this does not necessarily mean that people are better fed. In some countries insufficient food has been replaced by food that does not contain the nutrition that people need, with obesity now the most common form of malnutrition in many places. Claudia Hammond talks to study author Professor Majid Ezzati about the results and what can be done to halt the trend of increasing global obesity.

Research has shown that sleep deprivation can increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, while regularly eating fruit and vegetables can reduce the risk. Yet it wasn’t known whether a healthy diet could compensate for a lack of sleep. Now, researchers at Uppsala University in Sweden have discovered that people who eat healthily but sleep for less than six hours a day are still at higher risk of type 2 diabetes. GP Dr Ayan Panja joins Claudia in the studio to pick over the findings and talk about the importance of sleep to your health.

Ayan also brings news of a new study into screen time and language development in children. While this study found that screen time has a negative impact on children, previous studies have found that the right kind of television programme can be beneficial. Claudia and Ayan discuss the difficulties of finding answers to questions about the impact of screen time.

With the Oscars about to take place in Hollywood, we’ll be wondering what the best films are for learning about global health. Professor Madhukar Pai from McGill University in Canada uses movies in his teaching, and has even put together a list of over one hundred films that accurately portray health stories. He tells us what makes the perfect health movie.

And there’s more from British journalist Mike Powell as he prepares for his kidney transplant operation.

(Photo: Police physical trainer Javier Ramirez (C) works with police officers at a police unit in Mexico City, 11 December, 2019, where 1,000 Mexico City police officers have joined a program to lose weight. Credit: Rodrigo Arangua/AFP)

Featuring clips from:

"Chernobyl" Directed by Johan Renck, HBO/Sky UK

"Contagion" Directed by Steven Soderbergh, Participant Media/Imagenation Abu Dhabi/Double Feature Films

"How to Survive a Plague" Directed by David France, Public Square Films/Ninety Thousand Words

"Bending the Arc" Directed by Kief Davidson and Pedro Kos, Impact Partners

More than 1,600 junior doctors have been on strike in South Korea in a dispute about working conditions and Government plans to add more medical school placements. BBC health reporter Smitha Mundasad joins Claudia Hammond to explain the latest.

Smitha also brings Claudia new research about the first ever prehistoric case of a child with genetic condition Edwards’ syndrome. And some innovative solutions to get blood to so called ‘blood deserts’; large rural areas where there is no access to blood transfusion.

Claudia and Smitha also hear how one American woman Lynn Cole’s fight with serious blood infection helped scientists understand more about phage therapy. Lynn died in 2022, but Claudia speaks to her daughter Mya.

Health Check also continues to follow British journalist Mike Powell as he prepares for a kidney transplant operation. This week he is in conversation with Justin Pham in Los Angeles, who also has kidney failure and has been on dialysis since last year.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Clare Salisbury

Research shows that large numbers of Covid deaths could have been prevented if people in low and middle income countries had better access to vaccines. But this week the World Trade Organisation said it could not reach a consensus on waiving intellectual property rights on Covid-19 tests and treatments for poorer countries. Claudia Hammond is joined by BBC Africa health correspondent Dorcas Wangira in Nairobi, to discuss the impact of vaccine inequity on her part of the world.

Dorcas also brings news of a new Ebola study showing that even people vaccinated once they were already infected with Ebola had a substantially lower risk of dying. It suggests that not only does the vaccine help prevent Ebola, it also improves the survival odds of people who have already contracted it.

Oral Rehydration Salts are a lifesaving and inexpensive treatment for diarrhoeal disease, a leading cause of death for children around the world. It is cheap, effective and has been recommended by the World Health Organization for decades - so why is it under-prescribed? That’s a question that researchers at the University of Southern California set out to answer by sending ‘mystery patients’ to thousands of healthcare providers in India. Prof Neeraj Sood tells Claudia what they discovered.

And, a new study suggests that if the fourth digit on the hand of a professional footballer is longer than their second digit, they can metabolise oxygen more efficiently. This comes on the back of previous research about how differences in finger length can be a marker of heart attack and severity of Covid-19. Can you really make predictions about someone’s health based on the way their hand looks?

Carnival hits the streets in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil this week. As well as preparations for the crowds and colourful processions, health authorities have also been putting in extra measures to try to contain a huge outbreak of dengue fever. Last week a health emergency was declared in the city. And as Claudia hears from Peruvian health journalist Fabiola Torres, cases are rising to levels not seen for decades across the whole of Latin America.

Consultant in public health Dr Ike Anya is in the Health Check studio to take a deeper look at Dengue. He also brings news from Alaska, USA where an elderly man has become the first person to die from Alaskapox, a viral disease more commonly found in small animals like shrews and voles. And could new UK research on 50,000 people’s blood, help us get one step closer to a predictive blood test for Alzheimer’s disease?

Claudia and Ike hear from British journalist Mike Powell who has serious kidney failure. Last week Mike’s kidney transplant operation had to be cancelled due to his donor’s health. He’s hoping for some better news this week.

And Claudia speaks to Dr Ruth Namazzi at Makerere University in Uganda. She is co-author of new research that suggests that a common drug for treating the symptoms of sickle cell anaemia could have a transformative effect amongst children with the blood condition in sub-Saharan Africa.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producers: Clare Salisbury and Ben Motley Assistant producer: Imaan Moin

The hospital in Old Fangak, South Sudan is extremely remote; it’s a place that can only be accessed by boat, using the river Nile. The airstrip has been flooded for the past four years – flooding that has also destroyed crops and drowned cattle. Since April 2023, 501 cases of hepatitis E have been treated at the hospital, and 21 people – mainly women – have died. Now, doctors have launched a vaccination campaign that targets women and girls in communities that are up to eight hours by canoe from the nearest healthcare facility. Matt Fox, Professor of Global Health Epidemiology at Boston University, tells Claudia Hammond about the challenge of distributing vaccinations in such a challenging environment.

Matt also brings news of a study that suggests that up to 10% of patients diagnosed with dementia might actually have cirrhosis of the liver. Cirrhosis can cause cognitive impairment with a very similar presentation to dementia but, crucially, it’s reversible. A study of military veterans in the USA indicates that screening could prevent misdiagnosis.

36% of all human rabies deaths in the world happen in India - 20,000 deaths every year. 97% of these deaths happen through infected dog bites. India has the largest number of stray dogs in the world and also the largest number of stray dog attacks - around 17 million dog bites annually. Chhavi Sachdev reports from Jaipur on an organisation that believes they’re on their way to making the city rabies free.

As Chinese new year is celebrated around the world, we look at a foodstuff that is synonymous with the celebrations – eggs. Minchao Jin is a Clinical Associate Professor at NYU Silver School of Social Work in Shanghai, and he tells Claudia about his work assessing whether a hard-boiled egg a day can help the nutrition of schoolchildren in poor, rural parts of China.

And it’s a frustrating week for journalist Mike Powell as he continues his journey towards a kidney transplant.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Ben Motley

There are neglected tropical diseases, and then there is Noma, a severe gangrenous disease which tends to affect 2 to 6-year-olds and has a 90% fatality rate. Its quick onset means that often children die before they can get medical attention and it is thought that many medical professionals don’t even get taught about early symptoms. Claudia meets Fidel Strub, originally from Burkina Faso who survived Noma to ask about the impact on his life. This week the first meeting of an international group of researchers working to improve awareness and treatment of the disease is taking place. South African epidemiologist Dr Elise Farley explains why more research is desperately needed.

Family doctor Dr Ann Robinson brings promising news for treatment of another tropical disease, Nipah virus. The first-in-human vaccine trial has begun in the UK. And new research into the effectiveness of testosterone treatment in men.

Journalist Mike Powell updates Health Check as he continues his journey to kidney transplant. And a charity in Northern Ireland which is using a virtual reality experience to give seeing family members a better understanding of what it’s like to live with visual impairment.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Clare Salisbury Assistant Producers: Jonathan Blackwell and Imaan Moin

Photo credit: Claire Jeantet - Fabrice Caterini / Inediz

It has been another ‘milestone week’ for the fight against malaria. The archipelago island nation Cape Verde became the third country in Africa to officially eliminate the disease. Meanwhile in Cameroon, a ‘world first’ routine malaria vaccination programme has begun. A little girl called Daniella received the first vaccine in a clinic near capital city Yaoundé on Monday. BBC health reporter Philippa Roxby joins Claudia Hammond in the studio to gauge what progress we are making against a disease which kills 600,000 people in Africa every year.

Philippa also brings brand new research from the US that shows how air pollution, particularly from forest fires, can cause more people to suffer with eczema. Figures from one study suggest that dermatology visits rose eightfold in Boston in August 2023 compared to the same period a year earlier, while wild fires raged in Canada.

Mike Powell updates on his journey to having a kidney transplant. David Mataix-Cols, professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Science at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden discusses his new research that helps to explain why some people who suffer with health anxiety have a higher risk of dying. It has become known as the ‘hypochondria paradox.’ And Philippa and Claudia hear about a collaboration between a cardiovascular surgeon and a two-Michelin-starred chef, Doctor Nirav Patel and Fredrik Berselius, who have created a free cookbook designed as a training tool to improve heart surgeons’ dexterity, called The Heart Surgeon's Cook Book.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producers: Jonathan Blackwell and Clare Salisbury Researcher: Imaan Moin

Have you ever considered rowing across the Atlantic? How about making it even more challenging by doing it whilst wearing an ECG monitor and filling in psychological questionnaires? Claudia Hammond speaks to the first Austrian woman to row the Atlantic, Ciara Burns, who collected data throughout her 42-day crossing. And to the professor who studied the data, Eugenijus Kaniusas from the Vienna University of Technology, about the three big dips in mood along the way. Ciara talks about the emotional highs and lows of rowing to America, about the night skies, meeting whales, and how it feels when the Atlantic comes crashing down on you. Sports psychologist Peter Olusoga from Sheffield Hallam University, discusses the mental challenges and dealing with emotions during an adventure like Ciara's.

Claudia also speaks to Dr Nick Tiller, ultramarathon runner and exercise scientist at Harbor-UCLA, about the physical benefits and costs of taking part in ultra-endurance sports. Nick has run 100-mile races as well as running across the Sahara Desert. They discuss how peak performance in endurance events can peak at an older age than more fast-paced, high intensity sports, and whether anyone is physically able to take up an endurance sport if they set their mind to it. Also giving their thoughts on the physical impact of endurance sports are Yvette Hlaváčová who holds the women's world record for swimming the English Channel and Louise Deldicque who is professor in exercise physiology at UCLouvain in Belgium.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producers: Jonathan Blackwell and Lorna Stewart Editor: Holly Squire

A recent study from Canada has found that patients treated by female surgeons have a lower likelihood of adverse postoperative outcomes (death, hospital readmission or major complications) at 90 days and one year following surgery. The same research team also found in another recent study that there are lower 30-day, 90-day and 1-year post-surgery health care costs for patients treated by female surgeons compared with those treated by male surgeons. Claudia Hammond discusses these findings with two of the researchers from the University of Toronto, Dr. Chris Wallis and Dr. Angela Jerath.

Claudia is joined by medical journalist Clare Wilson from New Scientist to discuss deaths related to hydroxychloroquine, which was prescribed in hospitalised patients with Covid-19 in many countries despite of the low-level evidence.

We also hear how the re-imagining of cult American TV series, Sesame Street, can improve the health of Syrian children living as refugees in Jordan.

Claudia and Clare also discuss a study which suggests that hearing aids may prevent or delay the onset and progression of dementia, and another study into how ancient DNA reveals the reasons for high multiple sclerosis rates in Europe.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Jonathan Blackwell Editor: Holly Squire

A treaty to help the world cope with the next pandemic, new ways to treat undernutrition and a last goodbye to polio. Could these be some of the health advances that 2024 will bring? Claudia asks global health journalist Andrew Green for his predictions.

Monica Lakhanpaul, professor of integrated community child health at University College London joins Claudia in the studio to discuss new evidence showing that a vaccination for winter virus RSV could cut hospital admissions in children by more than 80%.

And a mobile phone app which has been used to screen people’s coughs in Kenya for signs of TB.

Plus Claudia speaks to British journalist Mike Powell who was diagnosed a year ago with kidney failure as he prepares for transplant.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Clare Salisbury Assistant Producer: Jonathan Blackwell Editor: Holly Squire

As 2024 draws ever closer, Claudia Hammond looks back at the medical news, trends and advances which the last twelve months have brought us. She is joined in the studio by BBC health reporter Philippa Roxby and Graham Easton, Professor of Clinical Communication Skills at Queen Mary University in London who debate their favourite health advances of the year.

And Claudia returns to some of the biggest health news stories of the year to ask what happened next? Reuters’ Krishna N. Das gives an update on the contaminated cough syrup scandal in which more than 300 children are known to have died worldwide. And she revisits a story Health Check has been following for more than a decade; the case of disgraced transplant surgeon Paolo Macchiarini, as a new TV series hits Netflix. Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Clare Salisbury

With the failure of the PrEPVacc trial in Southern and Eastern Africa, HIV researchers are concerned that an HIV vaccine will not be developed before 2030 at the earliest. Claudia Hammond is joined by Matt Fox, Professor of Global Health Epidemiology at Boston University, to discuss the latest news about HIV vaccines, funding and treatment from around the world.

We also hear about Super 5, a home-grown nutritional supplement being made by rural women in Rajasthan, in India, to address the problem of child undernutrition and malnutrition.

Claudia also speaks to Dr Rašads Misirovs to talk about sneezing. In a rare case, a patient of Dr Misirovs in Scotland tore a hole in their windpipe by stifling a sneeze. We learn more about why we sneeze as well as how to prevent injury when doing so.

Claudia and Matt also discuss how deaths from work-related illnesses are increasing, and concerns over the huge increase in calls to poison centres in the US because of accidental overdoses of injected weight-loss drugs.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Jonathan Blackwell

Morning sickness affects 4 in 5 women at some point in pregnancy but until now we’ve known little about why. Now researchers in the USA, Sri Lanka and the UK have discovered that it could be linked to a hormone produced in the placenta, and the mother’s reaction to it. Dr Graham Easton explains how it could lead to new cures.

He also brings Claudia Hammond news from Ukraine where the ongoing war has caused an increase in multidrug-resistant organisms. The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Center for Public Health of Ukraine are calling the spread of antimicrobial resistance in Ukraine an urgent crisis.

People living in Port Sudan, the country’s biggest sea port city, have spent days struck by an unprecedented infestation of flies. Claudia hears how it has made everyday life almost impossible, and how it could have long term health consequences for residents.

And how does watching news coverage of disasters make you feel? Claudia discusses how bad news can impact our mental health with Roxane Cohen Silver, Distinguished Professor of Psychological Science, Medicine, and Public Health at the University of California Irvine, and Michael Clemence, Associate Director, Trends & Futures at Ipsos. Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Clare Salisbury Assistant Producer: Jonathan Blackwell

On Health Check we often cover the outbreak of a mystery illness or unusual health event that has occurred somewhere across the globe. But how do we know when these illnesses are serious and how are they identified and investigated? Claudia Hammond speaks to Dr. Jarod Hanson from the Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases (ProMED) about how they scan and review information related to global health security. This follows news about an outbreak of anthrax in the Kyotera district of Uganda. We hear from those who have been affected.

Claudia is joined by BBC health reporter, Dr. Smitha Mundasad. They discuss the news that the UK Biobank has unveiled unparalleled new data from whole genome sequencing of its half a million participants. They hear from Dr. Maik Pietzner about why this data is so important for genetic research – his research into the cause of Raynaud's phenomenon was possible because of the data.

New research from the University of Washington has looked at how unfiltered air from rush-hour traffic significantly increases passengers’ blood pressure, both while in the car and up to 24 hours later. And a new paper released in the journal Nature suggests that a new method to analyse the ageing of organs in humans may allow us to better predict disease risk and the effects of ageing.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Clare Salisbury Assistant Producer: Jonathan Blackwell

When former Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern passed legislation to reduce access to tobacco products, the policy was held up as an international example. So there was shock among health experts in New Zealand and across the world this week when the newly sworn in Government announced they would be scrapping the plans. Claudia Hammond asks Janet Hoek, Professor of Public Health at the University of Otago what the international impact will be. She hears from the people who hear music when nothing is playing. Professor of cognitive neurology at Newcastle University, Tim Griffiths, describes what might be happening in the brain to cause these musical hallucinations. Claudia is also joined by public health expert Dr Tabitha Mwangi to discuss new research from Tanzania where health experts are collaborating with religious leaders to provide family planning services. They look ahead to COP28 in the United Arab Emirates where the climate conference will hold its first ever ‘Health Day’. And ask whether we should be concerned about the surge of childhood pneumonia in China?

Image Credit: Peter Dazeley

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Clare Salisbury Assistant Producer: Jonathan Blackwell

The UK has become the first country in the world to approve a gene editing treatment for people with the genetic conditions sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia. The news has been hailed as revolutionary, unthinkable just a decade ago. But will the new treatment provide a realistic option for the millions of people living with these haemoglobin disorders worldwide? BBC health reporter Philippa Roxby joins Claudia to look at the latest. She also brings new evidence from Australia on the health benefits of delayed cord clamping to new born premature babies. And a study drawing attention to the impact of surfing on surfers’ mental health. Could it add billions of dollars to the world economy?

Losing a family member is a difficult experience for everyone but for people who no longer have a connection to the person who has died, it can cause a mixture of grief, sadness, guilt, or relief. Claudia talks to broadcaster and author, Professor Alice Roberts, about her experience of losing her mother after being estranged for 5 years.

In the week that the World Health Organisation announced a new focus on the health impacts of loneliness, we noticed a familiar comparison in the headlines; that the health risks from being lonely are equivalent to smoking fifteen cigarettes a day. But what does that really mean? Claudia asks Professor Andrea Wigfield, Director of Centre for Loneliness Studies in the UK.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Clare Salisbury Assistant Producer: Jonathan Blackwell

The committee that advises on vaccinations in the UK has recommended that chickenpox is added to the standard list of childhood vaccinations; something which the USA and many European countries have been doing for some time. So why do some countries vaccinate children against chickenpox and others choose not to?

Claudia Hammond is joined by family doctor Ann Robinson. They also hear from conversation analyst Charlotte Albury, a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Oxford, about how doctors communicate with patients with obesity can have a significant impact on their weight loss success.

And with shortages of doctors in many parts of the world, are shared medical appointments - where a group of patients with the same condition see a doctor together - the answer? As Anupama Chandrasekaran reports from India, a trial carried out at Aravind Eye Hospital by ESMT Berlin, Harvard Business School and London Business School, found some surprising results.

Also discussed, high blood pressure and how reducing your salt intake can be just as effective as medication in some cases.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producers: Jonathan Blackwell and Helena Selby Editor: Holly Squire

This week it was announced in the United Kingdom that women at high risk of breast cancer will be able to take a drug, Anastrozole, which is usually used to treat breast cancer, as a preventative measure.

Recent trials show the drug can reduce the incidence of breast cancer by almost 50% in post-menopausal women at moderate or high risk of the disease.

Claudia Hammond is joined by medical journalist Clare Wilson from New Scientist to discuss how the drug works and who it will be offered to.

We also hear from Pakistan where four hundred teachers in Islamabad have been trained to screen their pupils for eye problems. Often families can’t afford for their eyes to be tested, so the classroom is being used to tackle both eye health and the stigma that can surround wearing glasses.

And do you think you are humble? Well Claudia discusses whether the whole idea of humility is undervalued with Professor Daryl Van Tongeren, the Director of the Frost Center for Social Science Research at Hope College in the United States.

And Clare tries to answer the question: do we really need eight of hours of sleep a night?

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producers: Jonathan Blackwell and Helena Selby Editor: Holly Squire

Antibiotics are becoming increasingly ineffective at treating common childhood infections, according to a new study.

The research, led by the University of Sydney, found some antibiotics recommended by the World Health Organization for children had less than 50% effectiveness in treating infections such as sepsis, pneumonia and meningitis.

Claudia Hammond is joined by Monica Lakhanpaul, professor of integrated community child health at University College London, to discuss the findings and calls for the urgent development of new treatments.

We also look at Raynaud’s phenomenon – a disorder that stops blood flowing properly to people’s fingers and toes – and hear from a Canadian musician who’s had to end concerts early because of it. A team from the Berlin Institute of Health and Queen Mary University of London have been trying to find out what causes it, and we also speak to one of the researchers about what they’ve discovered.

Claudia also looks at new research from China suggesting that practicing tai chi may help slow down the symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

And Monica tells us about the work she’s been doing in Brazil speaking to children about how to make their local communities safer so they can spend more time outdoors.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Dan Welsh, with Jonathan Blackwell

Talented guitarist, Hamish Barclay, was given steroids when he was a teenager to treat a kidney problem. He then experienced the rare side effect of psychosis and was later diagnosed with schizophrenia. He has lived the condition for the past ten years.

Now 29, he’s being supported by his mother Josephine to return to making music once again.

Claudia Hammond sits down with Josephine, Hamish and his sister Maudie for a conversation about life with schizophrenia – and the stigma around the word.

The family talk about how they sometimes avoid using the term because they know it can put people off playing music with Hamish and Maudie describes how her mum ensures Hamish can continue to play by driving him to London and sitting in classes with him.

We also hear some of Hamish’s compositions, as he tells us about the voices – or auditory hallucinations – that affect his songwriting. And hear how important returning to music has been for his wellbeing and mental health.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Dan Welsh

More than 100 people are suspected to have died in Zimbabwe in the most recent outbreak of cholera there. Almost 5,000 possible cases have been reported across the country, with the Zimbabwean government moving to ban large gatherings to prevent the spread of the water-borne disease.

Claudia Hammond is joined by BBC health reporter Philippa Roxby to discuss how authorities are hoping to avoid a repeat of the last major cholera epidemic in the country, which killed more than 4,000 people in 2008.

We also hear about the Cardiff Model for Violence Prevention, which started out as a PhD project and is now used across the world to help authorities discover where violence is taking place and how it can be prevented. Claudia speaks to the man behind the idea, and the doctor now hoping to introduce it to cities across the US.

Claudia and Philippa also look at new calls for urgent action to address male fertility around the world.

And we travel to Sierra Leone to hear about what has been described as a ‘diabetes time bomb’ in the country.

Image: EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Content Editor: Erika Wright/Holly Squire Producer: Dan Welsh

‘Doxy PEP’, or doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis, is where a common antibiotic is given to someone shortly after having unprotected sex to avoid the chance of them getting an STI like chlamydia, gonorrhea, or syphilis. It’s an idea being put forward by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the USA to cut STI rates. If their proposal is rolled out across the country, it would be the first national guideline recommending Doxy PEP for certain individuals, anywhere in the world. Claudia Hammond speaks to Professor Annie Luetkemeyer about the evidence for Doxy PEP, and hears from a Canadian man who had syphilis.

BBC Health and Science Correspondent James Gallagher brings Claudia new research on the most effective COVID-19 disease trackers. And a study from Sweden which could help us understand why people live beyond 100, by analysing their blood.

And they hear from people around the world who have come together to talk about grief. The New Normal is a charity that has its roots in a barber shop in the UK when Ben (the barber) and Jack (his client) realised they shared the experience of losing their fathers. They set up a support group where people could share honest stories about grief. Now the charity have members across the globe who meet online and share stories about losing the people they love.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Clare Salisbury Editor: Erika Wright

A vaccine for malaria that can be produced cheaply on a large scale has been recommended for use by the World Health Organisation. It was developed by the University of Oxford, and is only the second malaria vaccine to be developed.

Claudia Hammond is joined by New Scientist health reporter Clare Wilson to look at how the new vaccine works, and why it’s proven so hard to find a way to inoculate against malaria.

We also look at major new research that’s found women are facing major inequalities in cancer care around the world, with calls for a feminist approach to cancer prevention, detection, and treatment.

Claudia and Clare also discuss this week’s announcement of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Professors Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman are sharing the prize for their work developing the technology that led to the mRNA Covid vaccines.

And we hear whether or not there’s evidence that mental health ‘first aid’ courses have real medical benefits.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Dan Welsh Editor: Erika Wright

Gum lancing is a tradition practiced on babies in some parts of the world. It’s done with good intentions, and involves extracting the teeth of infants with symptoms such as a fever or diarrhoea in the belief it will cure them.

It can be fatal though, with tooth buds sometimes being removed using unsafe, unsterile instruments such as nails, and without anaesthesia.

We hear from a family in Kenya who lost children that underwent the procedure, a dentist raising awareness of its dangers in the country, and Claudia Hammond speaks to dental public health expert Dr Kristina Wanyonyi-Kay to find out more about the practice.

Claudia is also joined by BBC health reporter Smitha Mundasad to discuss new research on the Covid drug molnupiravir, suggesting it could be leading to new mutations of the virus passing between people.

We also hear from a listener who wants to know if eye exercises can stop our sight deteriorating as we get older, and from an ophthalmologist with the answer.

And how scientists have discovered specific wiring in the brains of mice that leads them to begin nesting when they’re getting ready to sleep. Claudia and Smitha look at what this could tell us about our own bedtime preparations.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Dan Welsh Content editor: Erika Wright Additional production: Dr Kristina Wanyonyi-Kay

The PEPFAR scheme was launched by George W Bush in 2003 to provide HIV and Aids relief around the world. Officials say it has since saved more than 25 million lives in 55 different countries.

Now, though, its future could be under threat.

With its funding due to expire at the end of September, some US Republicans are pushing for it not to be renewed because of alleged links to services providing abortions.

Claudia Hammond is joined by professor of epidemiology at Boston University, Matt Fox, to look at what the outcome could mean for global Aids provision.

We also hear from scientists in Nigeria and the US about the groundbreaking discovery of a gene variant in people of African ancestry that increases the risk of Parkinson’s Disease.

Claudia and Matt also look at a new study suggesting a minority of people who are sceptical of vaccines are less likely to get their dogs inoculated.

We hear from researchers in Germany looking at whether getting people to exercise while undergoing chemotherapy could improve their outcomes.

And just how good is turmeric at treating indigestion? Claudia looks at a new study into the spice from Thailand.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Dan Welsh

The author Max Dickins was preparing to propose to his girlfriend when he came to a realisation: he didn’t have anyone he felt he could ask to be his best man. It prompted him to write the book ‘Billy No-Mates’, looking at why he didn’t have any close male friends any more, and asking if men, in general, have a friendship problem.

In a special discussion in front of a live audience at the Cheltenham Science Festival in England, Claudia Hammond speaks to Max about his journey.

They’re also joined by Robin Dunbar, a Professor of Evolutionary Psychology at Oxford University who’s spent decades researching friendships in humans and other primates, and Radha Modgil, a practicing GP and wellbeing expert whose book ‘Know Your Own Power’ looks at what advice there is for people facing difficulties as they go through life.

The panel look at what psychology can teach us about friendships between men, the difference these relationships can make to our mental health, and the best way of both maintaining the friendships we have and finding ways to make new friends.

Produced in partnership with the Open University. Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Dan Welsh

With deaths from opioid overdoses rocketing to more than 100,000 people each year, the US has moved to make the drug Naloxone available to buy in pharmacies for the first time there this week. The nasal spray treatment can revive people who have overdosed within minutes.

Claudia Hammond is joined by Dr Ann Robinson to hear how the drug works, and what lessons the US can learn from how other countries around the world are using it.

We also hear from the first polar research team to try to tackle taboos over menstruation by training the next generation of Arctic and Antarctic scientists how to deal with having your period during an expedition.

Claudia and Ann look at new research suggesting the morning after pill becomes more effective when taken with anti-inflammatory drugs.

And we find out whether opposites do truly attract, as a new study on romantic relationships uncovers what happy couples do and don’t have in common.

Image Credit: Brittany Murray/MediaNews Group/Long Beach Press-Telegram via Getty Images

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Dan Welsh

In March 2015, Brazil reported a large outbreak of the Zika virus infection. Over the next year, the disease became a global medical emergency. Thousands of babies were born brain-damaged, after their mothers became infected while pregnant.

As the World Health Organisation discusses the current global Zika situation and the lessons learned from the outbreak, Claudia Hammond is joined by Dr Graham Easton to hear from the families affected in Brazil and ask what life is now like for the babies who were born with complications.

We also hear about new recommendations for how communities around the world can better prevent Sudden Cardiac Death, as well as research on whether how far away you are from a defibrillator is related to how deprived your area is.

Claudia speaks to a psychiatric nurse and the woman who says she saved her life by going above and beyond the call of duty.

And we hear about the world first from Australia, where scientists discovered a living worm in the brain of a woman who’d been experiencing stomach pain and night sweats.

Image Credit: Joao Paulo Burini

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Dan Welsh

When former transplant surgeon Paolo Macchiarini first implanted a synthetic trachea into a patient more than a decade ago, it was hailed as a breakthrough. But the person he operated on died, as did subsequent patients. And in 2013, Macchiarini was reported to Sweden’s Karolinska Institute, where he had carried out the operations, for scientific misconduct. Over the years, Health Check has followed the story and in this programme we hear the latest as Macchiarini appeals against a prison sentence in Sweden for gross assault.

Claudia Hammond is joined by BBC health and science correspondent James Gallagher who has been finding out whether eating his meals quickly or slowly is better for his health. And he brings us news from the USA of one of the first functional kidney transplants from a pig into a human.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Dan Welsh

Iraq is the latest country to report a batch of contaminated cough syrup according to the World Health Organisation. It’s the latest in a string of health alerts issued by WHO in the last 12 months. According to reports, 300 children died worldwide last year by taking contaminated cough syrups. BBC health reporter Philippa Roxby joins Claudia Hammond to discuss this and the latest health research.

When the Ugandan government passed tough anti LGBTQ legislation in May, health experts claimed it would have a devastating effect on HIV healthcare services. We hear from a clinic in Kampala where people living with HIV are scared to collect their medicine.

And Claudia speaks to Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at University of California Berkeley in the USA, Bob Knight. His team are trying to improve technology for people who struggle with speech by decoding brain signals. All with a bit of help from classic rock music.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Clare Salisbury

In the week that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that leprosy could now be endemic in the South-eastern United States, Claudia Hammond looks at global action on leprosy with science journalist Kamala Thiagarajan.

There is an international effort to learn more about weaning seriously ill people off ventilator support in hospitals. We hear about the Weansafe study from Ireland.

Professor of integrated community child health at University College London, Monica Lakhanpaul joins Claudia in the studio to discuss why the roll out of a new vaccine for RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) in the US could be a gamechanger. And why on your next trip to a hospital, you could see groups of elderly in-patients going on walks. Could it help prevent the effects of bedrest?

Image: Leprosy, nerve biopsy, nerve fibres surrounded by histiocytes

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Clare Salisbury

Henrietta Lacks was only 31 years old when she died from cervical cancer in 1951. While she was in hospital in the USA, her cells were harvested without her knowledge which, since being replicated infinitely, have gone on to enable research into cancer, dementia and Parkinson’s. As well as contributing to the development of vaccines for polio and COVID-19. Her family have fought for decades to get justice for the “stolen” cells, and this week reached a settlement with Massachusetts-based Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.

The United Nations says we now live in the era of "global boiling". As temperatures continue to soar across the southern USA, the BBC’s Health and Science Correspondent James Gallagher heads to a high-tech heated chamber in the UK, on a mission to find out how hot is too hot for our bodies to cope with.

In Sweden, dentist Dr Nivetha Natarajan Gavriilidou tells Claudia Hammond about her work using the bone structure of the jaw to predict how we might get shorter as we age. Could it lead to dentists working closer with GPs? It’s a question we also put to our studio guest family doctor Ann Robinson. Who brings us new research from the USA that could lead to better treatment for children’s runny noses. And potentially some good news if you’re struggling to shave seconds off your 5KM PB. Could beating your time be down to your genes?

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Clare Salisbury

The World Health Organisation and UNICEF say global immunisation services reached 4 million more children in 2022 compared to the previous year, after a huge backslide during the Covid 19 pandemic. But the progress in countries like India and Indonesia masks continued decline in many lower income countries. Global health expert Tabitha Mwangi and Claudia Hammond discuss how immunisation numbers can bounce back.

They also look at new research from Sub-Saharan Africa that suggests as many as one in 10 teenagers might have high blood pressure, and what might be the most effective way of lowering it?

While you may be gripped by the action from the Women’s football World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, Dr Kerry Peek is keeping a careful eye on the games for health reasons. She’s one of a team of ‘concussion spotters’ deployed this year for the first time at the tournament. Claudia asks her why professional sports women are more at risk from head injuries than men.

And are you a perfectionist? Psychologist Dr Thom Curran says striving to be perfect could put our mental health at risk.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producers: Clare Salisbury and Dan Welsh

(Photo: A child gets administered the polio vaccine from a health worker in Kabul, Afghanistan, 15 May 2023. Credit: SAMIULLAH POPAL Samiullah Popal/EPA)

Just months after the ‘momentous’ announcement of the first drug shown to slow the effects of Alzheimer’s disease, the results of a global trial into another have been published. The antibody medicine donanemab helped people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s by slowing the pace of the brain’s decline by about a third. Dr Graham Easton joins Claudia Hammond to look at what another ‘breakthrough’ means in practice.

They also look at new evidence from the USA that giving hearing aids to older people at risk from dementia could be another way to slow cognitive decline in some people.

While caring for women in childbirth, midwives are expected to be compassionate. Claudia hears from Dr Halima Musa Abdul, Senior Lecturer in Nursing Science at Ahmadu Bello University in Nigeria, and to Dr Kaveri Mayra, who trained in India and is now a researcher at the University of British Columbia. They say that particularly in lower and middle income countries, midwives aren’t being shown enough compassion at work themselves.

And we hear from Germany where a portable brain scanner could provide a solution for people in hard-to-reach health clinics.

Image Credit: Andrew Brookes

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Clare Salisbury & Dan Welsh

“Sickle cell is not all that we are – Sickle Cell is solvable.” Lea Kilenga Bey from Kenya founded the non-profit Africa Sickle Cell Organisation to campaign on behalf of people like her who live with an inherited blood condition known as sickle cell disease. Now a group of experts from around the world are calling on Governments to provide better care for people with conditions like Lea’s. It comes just weeks after a study published in academic journal The Lancet Haematology showed that the number of people around the world who die with sickle cell disease could be as much as 11 times higher than previously estimated. Claudia Hammond speaks to Lea and hears from Professor Jennifer Knight-Madden in Jamaica where pioneering research has led to a newborn screening programme that helps to diagnose and treat Sickle Cell Disease in babies.

Side by Side is a pilot initiative led by the Alzheimer’s Society in the UK, pairing up volunteers with people living with dementia based on their common interests. It’s how David met Simon, who learnt he had Alzheimer’s disease during the Covid 19 lockdown. We hear from David, Simon, and Simon’s wife Ruth about the pair’s weekly walks and how they have helped Simon come to terms with his diagnosis.

And Claudia is joined by Consultant in public health Dr Ike Anya. They discuss new research on living with dementia including a study that suggests resistance training might delay the onset of symptoms in people with Alzheimer’s. There’s an early breakthrough in finding a treatment for parasitic born African Trypanosomiasis or Sleeping Sickness. And the researchers combining health education with street theatre in Malawi. How an interactive performance involving “infectious” beach balls transmitted by a giant Tsetse fly is teaching people about catching Sleeping Sickness.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Clare Salisbury

Image credit: Kateryna Kon/Science Photo Library

Since early times, the drum has been part of human society. But have you ever considered how drumming might actually improve our physical and mental health? Researchers from the University of Essex are at this year’s annual Royal Society’s Summer Exhibition in London to talk to the public about their work which shows drumming during a rock concert might give you a similar workout as playing football.

Along with the BBC’s health and science correspondent, James Gallagher, Claudia Hammond gets a drumming lesson.

They also hear how specially designed audio is being used in virtual reality gaming to train the brains of people with hearing impairments. How micro-robots may provide the future of intricate eye surgery. And how laser technology currently being deployed by the Mars Rover could revolutionise the way we screen our bodies for diseases.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Erika Wright

(Photo: Drumming workshop plus drumming teacher Richard Davis)

African HIV research now makes up almost a third of total research being conducted into the virus. A new study highlights how it has increased from just 5 per cent in 1986. But there’s still a way to go until the quantity of research reflects the burden of HIV infections on the African continent. Claudia Hammond speaks to Professor Thumbi Ndung’u and Dr Omolara Baiyegunhi from the Africa Health Research Institute in South Africa about the future of research being conducted in Africa by Africans and why it matters.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is now the fastest growing liver disease in Europe. It already affects 38 per cent of people around the world. We hear from Vienna in Austria where a mobile clinic is offering people liver scans, and specialists have been teaching school children about liver health.

Dr Ann Robinson joins Claudia in the studio to discuss the latest health research including a US study with good news for people diagnosed early with a skin cancer known as melanoma. And a simple reason why staying up late might mean you won’t live as long as someone who enjoys an early start to the day.

And who better to crunch the data on siestas than the President of the Spanish Federation of Sleep Medicine Societies. Dr Carlos Egea explains how the modern siesta is more about taking a short time to relax, rather than a long afternoon sleep.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Clare Salisbury Assistant Producer: Jonathan Blackwell Production Coordinator: Jonathan Harris

Image credit: Credit:Portra Creative #:675577867

When the Myanmar military staged a coup d’état in February 2021, many healthcare workers became the first government employees to react, announcing a boycott of state-run hospitals. Today, there are doctors, nurses and other health workers providing services across the country, outside of state hospitals and often in secret. Claudia Hammond hears how they are struggling to provide clinics with dwindling resources and equipment and about the impact it’s having on people’s health.

We hear from Salvador in Brazil where a joint effort between local people, the Federal University of Bahia and the University of Liverpool is aiming to track rats to try to control the spread of the bacterial disease Leptospirosis.

And Professor of Integrated Community Child Health at University College London, Monica Lakhanpaul brings us new research to discuss on the effects of polluted water on babies, why taking a short nap might be good for brain health. And an early study that suggests the painful condition Endometriosis, where tissue from the lining of the uterus moves to other organs in the body, might be caused by bacteria. If the link exists, could it provide hope for new treatments?

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Clare Salisbury Assistant Producer: Jonathan Blackwell Production Coordinator: Jonathan Harris

Image Credit: Visoot Uthairam | GETTY IMAGES | Creative #:862142692

Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne disease which spreads to humans and can cause fever and severe joint pain, sometimes felt long term. It’s most common in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. But just like better known diseases Dengue and Zika, outbreaks look set to become more widespread as the world warms. We hear from Josie Shillito who caught Chikungunya while working on the island of Réunion. And Reader in Virus Evolution at Imperial College London, Dr Nuno R. Faria gives his reaction to news of the first phase three vaccination trial for the disease.

In the first of a new series where we try to answer your health questions, we hear from Steve from New Zealand who wants to know about the connection between migraines and vertigo. Dr Michael Strupp, Professor of Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology at the University of Munich sheds some light.

BBC health reporter Philippa Roxby joins Claudia Hammond to discuss the latest health research. This week we hear about a shortage of blood available for transfusions across Sub-Saharan Africa. A study from the US estimating how many lives of people with covid would have been saved if the vaccines had been shared evenly around the world; How a drug more commonly used to treat diabetes might lower the risk of developing long covid. And a study from Taiwan where subterranean robots have been used to destroy mosquito breeding sites in sewers.

Image Credit: Reuters

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producers: Clare Salisbury & Jonathan Blackwell

When China abruptly ended its tough lockdown policy in December 2022, Covid cases in the country rose rapidly. The Government’s official death toll was 121,000, but medical epidemiologist Ray Yip is one of several experts estimating it could have been much higher. Now China is experiencing another wave of Covid-19 fuelled by the Omicron variant, but this time the nation seems determined to continue with normal life. Claudia Hammond speaks to journalist Cindy Sui who has interviewed Chinese people about how authorities are handling the virus.

Claudia investigates the rise of medical journals and events, which might not be what they first appear. So called ‘pseudo-journals' have even been known to accept complete fiction.

She is also joined by professor of Epidemiology at Boston University Matt Fox to discuss recent trials of a new low cost meningitis vaccine in Mali and The Gambia. If rolled out it could protect against the five main meningococcal strains found in Africa. And a new way of detecting dangerous blood loss after birth. A randomised trial shows a plastic drape, costing between 1 and 2 US dollars might significantly lower the number of deaths by post-partum haemorrhage.

Image Credit: Getty Images

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Clare Salisbury Assistant producer: Jonathan Blackwell

As Uganda approves some of the harshest anti-LGBTQ legislation in the world, we hear from Dr Chloe Orkin, Professor of infection and inequities at Queen Mary University in London about the impact the new laws are already having on HIV health services.

Strict abortion laws in some US states are causing women to travel hundreds of miles to terminate their pregnancies across state lines. In the latest in our series on the health impacts of the US Supreme Court ruling on abortion, Claudia Hammond discusses the mental health consequences that these abortion restrictions can have. She speaks to Nancy Davis from Louisiana who had to travel over 1,300 miles to New York for a medically advised abortion after being told her unborn baby would not live to term. We also hear from Dr. Katherine Wisner, Professor of Psychiatry and Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Northwestern University in Chicago, who has researched the mental health ramifications of abortion restrictions.

BBC health and science correspondent James Gallagher discusses the reaction to a new UK study which claims that including certain foods and drinks can prevent age related memory loss. And how researchers in Canada and the USA have discovered a new superbug killing antibiotic using AI.

Image Credit: Jadwiga Figula

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producers: Clare Salisbury and Jonathan Blackwell

As new research is released showing that lower back pain is the leading cause of disability across the world, we ask Professor of musculoskeletal health at Sydney university, Manuela Ferreira what we can do to reduce the risks. We’re talking empathy; the ability to resonate with how others feel. Do healthcare professionals have enough empathy? And can having too much sometimes cause people working in healthcare difficulties with their own mental health? BBC health reporter Smitha Mundasad joins Claudia in the studio to discuss heart health. As a new report by the World Heart Foundation warns that deaths from cardiovascular disease have increased by more than 60 per cent over the last 3 decades, we look at a study from Japan that shows how keeping your legs strong can lead to a better prognosis after a heart attack. And a device that could increase your chances of surviving an avalanche has been tested in Italy. Claudia and Smitha discuss the results.

Image Credit: Moyo Studio

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Clare Salisbury Assistant Producer: Jonathan Blackwell

Home testing kits for screening people for signs of diseases have become more and more common in recent years. Now a study in the US shows that mailing women from low-income backgrounds tests for HPV, almost doubled the uptake of cervical screening. So, is ‘do-it-yourself’ testing the answer for other conditions, in other countries? Claudia discusses with BBC health and science journalist Philippa Roxby.

Dr Ike Anya is a consultant in public health and published author. He explains why he hopes his new memoir ‘Small by Small’ about his student days spent studying medicine in Nigeria might inspire medics all around the world to share their own experiences.

We hear from the USA, where new nutritional standards on school meals aim to limit the amount of added sugar and salt in children’s’ lunchtime meals.

Philippa looks at the World Health Organisation’s decision to declassify the Covid-19 pandemic from being a global health emergency. And she brings Claudia a study that shows why taller people with long legs might have an advantage against stockier competitors in extreme sports events held in the heat.

Image Credit: The Good Brigade

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Clare Salisbury Assistant Producer: Jonathan Blackwell

One in four babies around the world is born too small. Either preterm, small for gestational age, or with a low birthweight. We hear from maternal health advocate Ashley Muteti from Nairobi in Kenya who has had three small babies, one of whom, Zuri, died after 49 days. Now a group of doctors is calling on health leaders around the world to focus on these ‘small and vulnerable newborns’, suggesting a series of small interventions for pregnant women which they say could save a million babies’ lives every year. Family doctor Dr Ann Robinson discusses a new study looking at the most effective treatment for men with localised prostate cancer. She also looks at evidence from the USA that a common stomach infection caused by long term courses of antibiotics might be effectively treated by oral bacteria. And we hear from the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London where a programme for people with aphasia is giving intensive speech therapy to people who struggle to speak after having a stroke.

Image Credit: Morten Falch Sortland

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Clare Salisbury

Medical professionals in Khartoum tell us how they are managing to continue their work to treat people in hospitals despite the ongoing violence in Sudan. Some hospitals are out of service and doctors say they are struggling to secure medical supplies.

There is evidence that high blood pressure in young people in England is going undiagnosed, and levels are rising in the USA. Dr Graham Easton looks at the latest. He also discusses new research which may lead to earlier diagnosis of the degenerative condition Parkinson’s disease by testing for a build-up of abnormal proteins.

Ian Temple has Parkinson’s disease, but that hasn’t stopped him dancing. He is part of a group run by the English National Ballet for people with Parkinson’s. We hear from a dance class, and Elke Kalbe, Professor of medical psychology at the University of Cologne, explains how physical exercise like this might benefit people with the condition.

And have you ever heard someone with a near death experience recount that their life flashed before their eyes? We discuss new neuroscience which might explain the phenomenon.

Image credit: Ahmed Satti/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Clare Salisbury

Addressing racial diversity amongst doctors can improve outcomes for people in their local communities. We speak to Dr Monica Peek, Doctor of Internal Medicine and Professor for Health Justice of Medicine at the University of Chicago, about a new study showing that a 10 per cent increase in black representation amongst clinicians increased life expectancy for black people by more than 30 days.

BBC Health and Science Correspondent James Gallagher looks at an international decline in childhood vaccine take up during the Covid 19 pandemic. He discusses a new study which links taking a long afternoon nap with obesity and high blood pressure.

And have you ever sensed that someone was with you when you were actually completely alone? It happened to polar explorer Luke Robertson in 2016 when he became the first Scottish person to trek solo to the South Pole. In his book ‘Presence: The Strange Science and True Stories of the Unseen Other’, psychologist Ben Alderson-Day tries to make sense of the phenomenon which has been known to affect many people from Polar explorers, to people with sleep disorders or Parkinson’s disease.

Image Credit: Morsa Images

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Clare Salisbury

More than a quarter of the world’s malaria cases happen in Nigeria according to the World Health Organisation. This week the country became the second, after Ghana to provisionally approve the use of malaria vaccine R21. Professor Matt Fox explains why scientists have called the vaccine a ‘world changer’. We hear from dementia nurse Kemi Reeves who supports people living with dementia in Los Angeles. Her project has recently been shown to reduce the cost of caring for people with Alzheimers. We also hear about a new piece of research from the UK showing that hearing aids may protect against a higher risk of dementia. As we learn more about ‘Long Covid’, we explore evidence that links breathlessness with having had disrupted sleep. And have you ever been told you grind your teeth? Author Naomi Alderman was shocked recently when visiting the dentist to be told she had a condition called bruxism and hadn’t even realised. We ask whether experiencing the Covid pandemic may have led to more of us griding and clenching our teeth.

Image Credit: Halfpoint Images

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Clare Salisbury

Researchers in Zambia and Pakistan have shown that a drug which helps to stop bleeding in childbirth is safe to give by injection into a muscle - making it easier to save women’s lives where skilled help isn’t always close by. Tranexamic acid is usually given by a drip into a vein. But a new study by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine compared that method with giving an injection into the thigh and administering it as a drink in a solution. They found that the injection was just as effective as the drip – which doctors say will save time and lives.

We hear from one of the first people in the world to be given blood grown in a laboratory – and the scientist who made it possible. People with conditions like sickle cell anaemia could eventually benefit from this technology with lab blood tailored to their needs.

Overweight people with painful arthritic joints might be told it’s due to “wear and tear”. But Dr Graham Easton explains how a new study shows that changes to cells within our joints cause inflammation – and it’s not simply a case of extra weight putting pressure on our knees and hips.

Producer: Paula McGrath

Women do 90% of the work in global healthcare but hold only a quarter of leadership roles. We hear from an American doctor who says patients are missing out on the unique perspective of women because they aren’t involved in strategic decision-making. Margaret in Nairobi has set up a WhatsApp group to help to improve the rights of community healthcare workers and Indian doctor Snigdha explains how equality can only happen if childcare and access to education for women are improved.

Pregnancy complications like pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes appear to make newborn babies “biologically younger” than those born to women who have healthy pregnancies. Researchers studied data from 1800 babies from 12 different parts of the United States and found that their so-called epigenetic age was reduced by around a week if their mothers had the conditions.

As students across the world ask the popular artificial intelligence programme Chat GPT to write their essays, Professor Graham Easton assesses how much impact it could have on healthcare, from breast cancer screening to medical record keeping.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Paula McGrath

Image Credit: Getty Images/ SDI Productions

Here on Health Check, we’re always sniffing out the best global health research for our listeners – and this week is no different. We’ll hear about a study in Sweden where researchers are testing whether smelling other people’s body odour could be a useful part of therapy for social anxiety. And what is One Health? A new report from the World Health Organization suggests a joint plan of action is needed to tackle animal and human health threats – and even to avert future pandemics. We’ll talk to intensive care doctor Matt Morgan about what we can learn from giraffes to treat brain injury, what a koala’s eating habits can reveal about gut health and how when faced with disease we might have a lot in common with ants… We’ll also have a report from Somalia where five consecutive failed rainy seasons have left five million people with acute food shortages and nearly two million children at risk of malnutrition. With a sixth season projected to fail, medics are warning of severe and long lasting health implications, particularly for children. And we’ll be joined by global health expert Dr Matt Fox to discuss how certain types of gut bacteria in babies could predict the chance of developing type 1 diabetes in later life. Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Gerry Holt & Helena Selby

Babies, peanut butter and allergies; Psychologist Professor Elaine Fox on how to navigate change; how changing the clocks twice a year affects our health and why misophonia, the strong reaction to sounds of other people breathing, yawning or chewing, could be more common than we thought.

Image Credit: Mohd Hafiez Mohd Razali / EyeEm

“Diet and exercise” has been the weight-loss mantra for decades but a drug designed for diabetes patients could now offer hope to people who are obese, at a time when researchers are warning that half of the world’s population are expected to be overweight or obese by 2035. One of the first to have injections of Semaglutide in the UK was Jan, who has battled with her weight since childhood. Once the medication took effect she lost four stone and said her hunger disappeared.

Professor Stephen O’Rahilly from the University of Cambridge, explains how the drug mimics our body’s natural appetite signalling but its effects disappear once you stop the weekly injections. Family doctor Margaret McCartney says it might help some who are obese but warns that it has also gained a reputation as a “Hollywood skinny drug", reflecting some of society’s ideas about beauty and celebrity culture.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Paula McGrath

(Photo: A jogger running around Clifton Downs, Bristol. Credit: Ben Birchall/PA)

A month on from the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, we assess what kind of impact the disaster may have had on mental health.

We hear from Professor Metin Basoglu, an expert in earthquake trauma and director of the Istanbul Centre for Behavioural Sciences. He explains how it is a unique kind of trauma rooted in fear and compounded by the uncontrollable nature of earthquakes and the thousands of aftershocks that come following the initial disaster.

Prof Basoglu tells us about the psychological treatment he developed based on his research with 10,000 survivors of the 1999 earthquake in Turkey and how an earthquake simulator can be used to tackle trauma symptoms.

We hear from researchers in the US and Kenya about a new discovery that has ended 100 years of searching for an airborne chemical that could hold the key to the way tsetse flies mate – and help to tackle the diseases they spread in humans.

Our guest in the studio is family doctor Ann Robinson who has the latest research on global health. Could socialising more often be linked to a longer life? And why might half of the world’s population be obese by 2035? We’ll explore all this and more.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Gerry Holt

Image: Survivors of the earthquake in the city of Jenderes in the countryside of Aleppo, north-western Syria. Credit: NurPhoto / Contributor

We delve into the science of how some vaccines could have unexpected effects beyond their intended target. They are called “non-specific effects” and we are only just at the beginning of our understanding despite scientists documenting this curious biological phenomenon more than 100 years ago.

One of the earliest vaccines to be studied was the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccine for Tuberculosis, better known as the BCG. Professor Christine Stabell-Benn gives us a history lesson and brings us up to date with her team’s research at the Bandim Health Project in Guinea-Bissau, Western Africa. Also in the programme we hear about a new device for fixing bones being trialled in Gaza and Sri Lanka – and already in use in Ukraine. We hear from surgeons about what kind of patients they are treating and from UK researchers on hopes it will offer a low-cost, easy-to-make alternative in countries where there are shortages of these fixators.

Our studio guest this week is BBC News health and science journalist Philippa Roxby who talks us through the latest after an 11-year-old girl in Cambodia died from the H5N1 strain of bird flu. Plus, we look at new studies on long Covid and how much exercise we should be aiming to do each day.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Gerry Holt and Emily Knight

From human milk banks to babies born during conflict, this week we're all about the health of children and newborns.

The most vulnerable premature babies benefit from human milk, but their mother's milk is often not available. We visit a human milk bank to explore how donors are making a difference.

Dr Ann Robinson shares some surprising new research looking at a novel way of preventing short-sightedness. And one year on from the start of the war, Smitha Mundasad talks to a Ukrainian mother who was forced to flee her country while 7 months pregnant. In conversation with Sasha Yarova from War Child, Smitha finds out about support available for the thousands of Ukrainian children now making new homes in countries around Europe.

Presenter: Smitha Mundasad Producer: Gerry Holt & Ilan Goodman

Venomous snakebites are responsible for up to 150,000 deaths a year around the world – and they also leave around half a million survivors with life-changing injuries, including amputations and disfigurement.

In this week’s Health Check we investigate why snakebite still disproportionately affects poorer, more rural communities, and what is being done to tackle the problem.

We’ll talk to a mother in Kenya whose little girl was bitten by a snake not once, but twice, and to a doctor about how it feels to save lives. We’ll hear how anti-venoms are checked and how in many cases they are too expensive to afford and how there are not always enough supplies. And even when they are available some don’t work well.

Smitha Mundasad also visits the Centre for Snakebite Research and Interventions in Liverpool, England, where she gets to see a snake being “milked” for its venom – and finds out how new and improved anti-venoms are being created, all with a little help from camels.

Join us on a journey crossing continents, from the front line of the fight against snakebite to the hunt for new therapies.

Image: Herpetologist Edouard Crittenden “milking” a snake for its venom.

Presenter: Smitha Mundasad Producers: Gerry Holt & Julia Ravey

Can changes in the weather have an impact on our mental health? We go to Bangladesh in South Asia, a country on the front line of the impacts of climate change, where researchers have been exploring connections between incremental changes in heat and humidity, along with bigger impacts like flooding, and the levels of anxiety and depression in the population. They say their study has stark implications, not just for Bangladesh, but for many other countries too. Dr Belinda Fenty joins us bringing in some coffees in the studio. But can presenter Smitha Mundasad spot which cup has the caffeine? Dr Fenty talks us through what coffee actually does to the body and ponders other questions like how much is too much and why might you crash after a coffee high.

She also take us through how to spot fake medicines and we take a look at an intriguing study on whether being married is good for your health. Presenter: Smitha Mundasad Producer: Gerry Holt

(Photo: Pabna in Bangladesh at dusk. Credit: Emon Cena/Getty Images.)

This week we’re dedicating the programme to a common medical emergency – one that can be deadly within minutes without the right help to hand. A cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly stops pumping blood around the body. We’ll hear from a doctor who battled for five hours to save a man 40,000ft up in the air; a student who’s teaching people not to be afraid to help in an emergency and we’ll hear a survivor’s story of life after cardiac arrest. Globally, there are tens of thousands of cardiac arrests outside of hospital every year. Fewer than one in 10 survive and this number varies depending on where you live, as does the availability of life-saving defibrillators – our studio guest Dr Belinda Fenty tells us more. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in the first few minutes after the heart stops beating can be crucial. We have a live demo from a volunteer with UK charity St John Ambulance. Join us for an action-packed programme that might just help you save a life.

Image: Dr Vishwaraj Vemala is thanked by the captain of the Air India flight after he saved a fellow passenger’s life Presenter: Smitha Mundasad Producer: Gerry Holt

Six months on from the worst flooding in Pakistan’s history, a medic in eastern Balochistan describes what he is seeing daily.

Khalid Saleem, who works for the charity Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), says many people are still living in shelters at the side of the road and must walk miles if they need healthcare. There are high levels of malnutrition, malaria and skin conditions such as scabies.

We also talk Professor Zainab Samad, from Aga Khan University in Islamabad, who is the author of a major new report on the country’s health. She describes how people in these areas were already worse off even before the floods and says it will take years to recover – but it is everyone’s responsibility to help make society healthier.

We hear from Dr Lindsay Dewa and medical student Simi Adewale on their project to explore digital connection during the COVID-19 pandemic. Imperial College London worked with young people to make a short film about the impact on young people’s mental health.

And our guest is family doctor Ann Robinson, who’ll discuss the latest studies and health news, including strict new alcohol guidance for Canada and how “bed dancing” is helping hospital patients.

Image credit: Getty Images

Presenter: Smitha Mundasad Producer: Gerry Holt

In this week’s episode we hear from two women who talk about what life is like with endometriosis, an incredibly common but debilitating condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows in other places in the body.

Katherine from Ghana and Dee from Wales describe their long journeys to diagnosis and how the “invisible illness” affects every aspect of their lives, from mental health to work and relationships.

We also hear from a researcher in the US who is studying the condition in minute detail in the hope that arming the scientific community with deeper knowledge will help lead to new treatments.

Presenter Smitha Mundasad joins a singing group in London which aims to tackle post-natal depression among new mums. She hears how the project, which is rooted in research, is challenging them artistically and helping to reduce symptoms.

Also joining us is Matt Fox, Professor of Epidemiology and Global Health at Boston University, who’ll discuss what progress is being made in the fight to eradicate rabies by 2030 and talk us through a study on the best music to fall asleep to… Zzz…

Presenter: Smitha Mundasad Producer: Gerry Holt

In this week’s episode of Health Check, we meet the Poulin family who live in Thailand. They tell us about their long quest to have their little girl Rylae-Ann diagnosed with an incredibly rare disease. And that’s just the beginning of the story.

Rylae-Ann was fortunate enough to have gene therapy on a clinical trial in Taiwan – and it has transformed her life – but it’s not a treatment that’s available to everyone.

Joining presenter Smitha Mundasad in the studio is family doctor Graham Easton, who’ll discuss why that’s the case – and what the risks are around this experimental treatment and the ethics of diagnosing rare conditions.

We’ll also hear from a scientist in Vancouver on her fascinating research which has discovered a compound in a sea sponge that blocks Covid-19 in human cells in the lab.

And we’ll have the latest on the virus in China, as concerns grow about its spread ahead of the Lunar New Year, and a rather unusual study about a very small trial in London involving scars being treated using transplanted hair.

Presenter: Smitha Mundasad Producer: Gerry Holt and Tess Davidson

Claudia Hammond explores the psychology of regret with an audience at the Cheltenham Science Festival. What role do rueful thoughts on "what might have been" play in our lives? Is regret a wasted emotion or does it have some hidden benefits?

Joining Claudia on stage : Teresa McCormack - Professor of Cognitive Development at the School of Psychology, Queen's University Belfast who researches how regret in childhood can shape our decisions; novelist and essayist Sophie White - whose latest novel The Snag List examines the opportunity to go back in life and follow the road not taken; Fuschia Sirois - Professor of social and health psychology at Durham University whose research examines the impact of those "what if" thoughts on our health and wellbeing.

Producer Adrian Washbourne

Many people say that knitting or crochet helped ease their anxiety during the Covid-19 lockdowns. Claire Anketell set up free Yarn for Mental Health courses in Northern Ireland last year and Gemma McAdam says crochet helped to reduce her stress levels and she's now making blankets.

Esther Rutter's book This Golden Fleece: A Journey through Britain's Knitted History aims to unpick what textiles mean to us - including how they became part of the treatment for mental health problems. Learning a skill by following a pattern, connecting with other people and being distracted from everyday worries tick some of the boxes which we associate with wellbeing. But it's hard to pin down exactly which elements can boost our mood. Dr Sarah McKay author of The Woman's Brain Book: the Neuroscience of Health, Hormones and Happiness assesses whether we need hard evidence to carry on casting on.

The charity Fine Cell Work has been teaching prisoners embroidery, needlepoint and quilting for 25 years. CEO Victoria Gillies says the idea is to rehabilitate prisoners and ex-prisoners as they sew high-quality elaborate cushions and footstools. We hear about the difference it's made to stitchers like Ben.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Paula McGrath

It’s been another busy year on the BBC’s Health Check, where we’ve brought you the health and science stories that matter to you from around the globe, week in, week out.

In this episode, Claudia Hammond is joined by Dr Ann Robinson to pick out some of the biggest breakthroughs of the year, from major advancements in gene therapy for two debilitating blood conditions, to a huge leap forward on treatment for dementia, and what looks like the conclusion of a long-running medical mystery.

Claudia also hears about new findings on the best way to remember the important things in life – is it writing a list? Tech aides? Or a bit of both? And findings from a new German study on how psychology could be used to help close the gender pay gap.

And we’ll look at the current rise in infections in Europe associated with the streptococcus bacteria – why is this happening now and how can you spot the signs of more serious infection?

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Gerry Holt

We’ve grown used to hearing about potential new treatments for Covid-19 – well here’s another. Researchers in Britain have, by chance, discovered that a tablet used to treat liver disease for decades could be repurposed to stop Covid-19 in its tracks.

The drug appears to shut a crucial ‘doorway’ the virus uses to get into our cells – and scientists are excited about its potential to tackle different variants and provide a low-cost weapon in the pandemic. We hear how researchers used a combination of ‘mini organs’, animals and humans to show how it could work – and what needs to happen next to confirm the findings.

The BBC’s Anna Holligan reports from the cycle-friendly Netherlands on an innovative new bike donation scheme that is being used to break down barriers and improve mental health for refugees and in deprived communities.

And Claudia Hammond’s guest this week is Dr Graham Easton, a family doctor and professor of clinical communication skills at Queen Mary University of London. He delves into new research that suggests short bursts of vigorous activity could reduce risk of death and finds out which Olympic sports are most likely to cause injuries. Spoiler: It’s not the more traditional ones…

(Picture: Liver organoid – or ‘mini-liver’ – infected with SARS-CoV-2 (red indicates the virus). Photo credit: Teresa Brevini).

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Gerry Holt

Claudia meets Professor Elizabeth Stokoe author of 'Crisis Talk' whose research shows when preventing a suicide, that words really do matter and can save lives during a crisis. Through analysing real time recordings of actual conversations between people in crisis and police negotiators, new findings highlight what can work and what doesn't. (Picture: Vector illustration of two profiles of women with speech bubbles inside their heads. Photo credit: JakeOlimb/Getty Images.)

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Erika Wright

After years of setbacks, the announcement of the first drug to slow the brain's decline in Alzheimer's is being hailed as "momentous". What makes this breakthrough different?

To study the effect of the environment on our health, scientists sometimes have to look to the past. We hear from the author of a study which has uncovered how the worst recession in US history may leave an indelible mark on how well people age.

Claudia Hammond’s guest this week James Gallagher, the BBC's health and science correspondent, looks at a new single-dose treatment for sleeping sickness and claims it could help to eradicate transmission of the disease by 2030 and why monkeypox is being renamed.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Gerry Holt

(Picture: Human brain scan in a neurology clinic. Photo credit: Andrew Brookes/Getty Images.)

Ask 40,000 surgeons from around the world what they would pick to scientifically investigate and what do they choose? They voted for a new trial to establish whether changing to new surgical gloves and clean instruments just before abdominal wounds are closed up during surgery, would reduce infection. Thirteen thousand operations in seven countries later (in Benin, Ghana, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Rwanda and South Africa) the answer to the most common complication of surgery is in, and the results are published in the journal, the Lancet. Co-author Aneel Bhangu, senior lecturer in surgery at the University of Birmingham, tells Claudia how the findings of this apparently simple step, will change surgical guidelines around the world.

We all have a space around us that we claim as our own. If anybody comes too close, we feel uncomfortable or even threatened. But what has social distancing and the pandemic done to our personal space? Science writer David Robson reports from one of the biggest brain sciences conferences in the world, Neuroscience 2022, in San Diego. New research using virtual reality, reveals that our personal space had shrunk. But, crucially, while our personal force field has reduced, it has also hardened. And according to the study, David says, we are now much less tolerant if this new, reduced 'peripersonal distance' is breached.

And BBC global health correspondent, Naomi Grimley, reports on the challenge to China’s zero-Covid strategy as coronavirus cases rise, Africa’s first conference on the disabling condition club foot and a new study on acupuncture for pregnant women with lower back pain.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Fiona Hill

(Photo: Operating theatre staff wearing scrubs, one helping the other put on gloves. Credit: Jochen Sand/Getty Images)

Ayoka from Atlanta, Georgia in the US is desperate to have a baby and her family is helping to pay for her IVF treatment. But Ayoka knows that she carries a serious genetic condition, Fragile X, which she does not want to pass on to her children. She tells Claudia Hammond what it means to know that she would be prevented from having an abortion, even if pre-natal testing revealed her unborn baby had the inherited condition. That is because the state of Georgia, up until yesterday when the ban was successfully challenged in court, has restricted termination after six weeks of pregnancy. This restriction is too early for genetic testing to have taken place. So what will she do if the ban is reinstated?

Lebanon has experienced profound economic, financial and civil shocks in recent years as well as absorbing almost a million and a half refugees, a third of its total population. The strains on its infrastructure are acute and for the first time in almost thirty years, there have been outbreaks of cholera, claiming lives of young and old alike, just as there is a global shortage of cholera vaccines. Lebanon’s Minister of Public Health, Dr Firass Abiad, tells Claudia about the steps that are being taken to treat, vaccinate and restore vital infrastructure to stop the disease spreading.

And the BBC’s Science and Health correspondent, James Gallagher, brings the latest medical findings, including how armadillos showed that the leprosy bacterium can regenerate organs, how children’s different births cause different microbiomes and different reactions to vaccinations and which smells give you a better night’s sleep.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Fiona Hill

(Photo: A pregnant woman lying down. Credit: Brooke Fasani Auchincloss/Getty Images)

South Africa's anti-retroviral programme to treat HIV infection is the largest in the world with 5.5 million people in treatment. It’s transformed this disease from an automatic death sentence, to something that can be managed as a chronic illness and the government is determined to expand the programme and get more people with HIV in treatment. It’s an ambitious plan and Claudia Hammond hears how psychological tools called "nudges", drawn from behavioural economics, are being used and tested as low-cost interventions to persuade more people into treatment. Dr Sophie Pascoe, Co-Director of South Africa’s first HIV nudge unit, Indlela, describes how the new techniques are being used.

And the plight of the Covid-19 shielders. Shannon is so vulnerable to catching the virus that she has lived apart from her husband and teenage daughter for almost two years. What’s it like having your life on hold and not being able to hug or kiss your loved ones? And Matt Fox, Professor of Global Health Epidemiology and Boston University joins Claudia to discuss the increase in cholera outbreaks and the shortage of vaccines and the new UK trial to manufacture blood in a laboratory.

Image: Beaded HIV/AIDS ribbon brooch among beaded South African flag keyrings, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Credit: Neil Overy/Getty Images)

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Fiona Hill

Claudia Hammond discovers that some livers have the potential for extraordinary longevity and after a long life in a transplant donor, can survive for many more years in a transplant recipient. Livers over one hundred years old, called centurian livers by researchers, have been identified and many are still going strong. The new study has important implications for the future of liver transplants because donated organs from some older-age people were also found to last longer than those from young-age donors, a finding that Dr Christine Hwang, from the University of Texas in the USA and study co-author, tells Claudia upturns conventional thinking about the healthiest livers to transplant.

The accuracy of forehead thermometers as well as pulse oximeters on darker skin is an issue that's received widespread attention, but what about the medical need to accurately measure skin pigmentation for psoriasis, eczema, skin cancers and other health conditions? Dr Ophelia Dadzie from the British Association of Dermatologists and the Hillingdon Hospital in London has been developing a scientific way to measure skin colour. Her method uses eumelanin, a skin pigment, and she's created a new scale to objectively assess peoples’ skin colour.

And BBC correspondent, Dr Smitha Mundasad, joins Claudia and reports on the growing Ebola outbreak in Uganda, the risks of herbal supplements on our livers and brings the latest evidence on the health benefits of the weighted blanket.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Fiona Hill

(Picture: A doctor Transporting a Human Organ for Transplant. Photo credit: Photographereddie/Getty Images.)

Health-threatening fungal infections are on the rise and the World Health Organisation identifies the pathogens which pose the greatest risk to human health. Dr Graham Easton, family doctor and Professor of Medical Education at Queen Mary, University of London, tells Claudia how growing resistance to anti-fungal medication resistance, just like antibiotic resistance, is making the problem even worse. Graham also highlights growing health concerns about the recreational use of the drug Nitrous Oxide or laughing gas around the world.

One hundred and fifty million people are thought to have Long Covid, debilitating symptoms which persist long after Covid-19 infection, yet the condition is still little understood. To spell out what we do, and don’t, know about Long Covid, a patient and a professor have got together to write The Long Covid Handbook. Patient advocate and film maker Gez Medinger and Professor of Immunology at Imperial College, London, Danny Altman, describe the gaps in medical knowledge and the impact on sufferers of the slow progress on diagnostics and treatment.

A recent survey in Chile revealed mental health to be the top health concern in the country. Jane Chambers reports on a Santiago charity called the Itaca Foundation, finding great success by pairing up vulnerable younger people with older people for mutual support.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Fiona Hill

(Picture: A woman resting after running with a protective face mask in the city. Photo credit: Drazen Zigic/Getty Images.)

After decades of progress – how can we stop the pandemic, climate change and conflict around the world from turning back the clock when it comes to women and children’s health? We hear from UNICEF’s Dr Jennifer Requejo about a new report which examines the impact of natural disasters, war and the pandemic and offers some ideas of how to catch up on targets for improvements.

The BBC’s medical and science correspondent James Gallagher thinks he hasn’t had Covid-19 – and takes a blood test to see whether there are any tell-tale signs that he might have been infected unknowingly.

And there’s news of how Covid affected life expectancy and whether spending time in the countryside or by the beach might make a difference to how long we live. And a study which suggests that 5 hours is the minimum number of hours sleep we need to stay healthy.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Paula McGrath

(Picture: Close up of a mother carrying a baby boy in a fabric sling. Photo credit: PixelCatchers/Getty Images.)

If you’re trying to work out what’s healthy to eat and what to avoid – there’s a new five star rating system. Researchers in the US have looked at previous studies which examined how much certain foods increased the risk of developing a particular disease – or if they could even protect you. Dr Chris Murray from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation in Washington says he hopes the star ratings will help people to make informed decisions about their health. We hear from Dr Tammy Tong, a nutritional epidemiologist at Oxford University about the strengths and limitations of this approach.

Millions of people around the world use open-pit toilets – a hole in the ground where they can see and smell other people’s waste. The walls are often made of bits of metal and cloth and they are often shared between many families, provoking feelings of shame and disgust. Dr Ian Ross from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine has been measuring the difference a nicer toilet can have on people’s quality of life in Mozambique – with help from Zaida Adriano Cumbe who talked to families involved in the study in Maputo.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Paula McGrath

(Picture: Tacos with grilled steak and vegetables, avocado, tomato, cilantro and lime. Photo credit: Istetiana/Getty Images.)

There’s encouraging news about a potential treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease following years of disappointing drug trials. The drug lecanemab is a monoclonal antibody which is designed to remove clumps of amyloid proteins which damage the brain. Professor Bart de Strooper who’s director of the UK Dementia Research Institute explains how patients who had regular infusions of the drug had their rate of cognitive decline reduced by 27% when compared to those given a placebo.

Sewage testing has been used around the world during the Covid pandemic – and at the moment children in London are being vaccinated against polio after the virus was found in waste water. The BBC’s Health and Science Correspondent James Gallagher takes us on a tour of a sewer in southern England.

Claudia Hammond’s guest this week Professor Graham Easton from Queen Mary University of London looks at whether folic acid could reduce suicide and self harm – and whether it’s ok to take anti-depressants during pregnancy.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Paula McGrath

(Picture: Pharmaceutical research into brain disorders. Photo credit: Westend61/Getty Images.)

Waterborne diseases are on the rise in Sindh province in Pakistan where water levels are still high after record floods. BBC Urdu’s Riaz Sohail visited the region and tells us about the conditions in roadside camps and a hospital in Dadu district.

A recently published Motor Neuron Disease trial suggests that a new drug could make a fundamental difference for some people living with the disease.

And how does healthcare work if a doctor can only be reached by boat, helicopter or plane? BBC’s Marnie Chesterton went to Greenland and spoke to a healthcare worker in the small village of Narsarsuaq.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Florian Bohr

(Picture: Flood-affected people on the road in Dadu city, Pakistan. Photo credit: Jan Ali Laghari/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images.)

Egypt has almost eliminated the 'silent killer' hepatitis C – less than a decade after having the highest number of cases of the virus in the world. A new report from the World Economic Forum details how they managed to screen almost the whole adult population and treated those infected with the virus which can cause liver damage and even cancer. Professor Imam Waked from the National Liver Institute explains how other countries like Rwanda and Georgia are now following suit – but not quite at the rapid pace which Egypt managed.

There is currently a rise in cases of cholera in Syria, and outbreaks of malaria and dengue fever in Pakistan, but for opposite reasons. The first is caused by a drought, and the latter by a flood.

And what psychology can tell us about the behaviour of crowds when there’s a false alarm but people feel genuine fear.

And James Gallagher reveals what nightmares and learning a musical instrument tell us about our brains.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Paula McGrath

(Picture: Labourers line up for Hepatitis C screening at a construction site in Egypt in 2017. Photo credit: Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images.)

The trial of a malaria vaccine in Burkina Faso has revealed promising results, protecting young children from being infected by the parasite for a second season. Most malaria deaths are in children under five in sub-Saharan Africa. We hear from one of the research team Professor Katie Ewer, about how difficult it is to create a malaria vaccine. It’s hoped that the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer in Pune, India, will make enough of the vaccine to make it available to every child who needs it in the next few years.

A new study has shown that forehead thermometers are not as accurate at picking up high temperatures in black patients as they are in people with white skin. Family doctor Ann Robinson explains how worrying symptoms could be missed in some patients, leading to health inequalities if we rely on devices which are only tested on white skin.

And how walking can help to reduce our risk of dementia – and also help tired parents get their crying babies off to sleep.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Paula McGrath

(Picture: A child receives a malaria vaccination at Yala Sub-County hospital, Kenya, in October 2021. Photo credit: Brian Ongoro/AFP/Getty Images.)

China has approved the first nasal Covid vaccine inhaled up the nose. James Gallagher, BBC Health and Science correspondent explains how a sniffed vaccine primes the immune system. Plus Claudia hears about the health consequences of a ban on abortion in some US states for young women who develop a breast cancer diagnosis during pregnancy. Professor Virginia Borges and Assistant Professor Nicole Christian from the University of Colorado explain the difficult decisions women are having to make. And resolution of the mystery pneumonia identified in Argentina.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Erika Wright

(Picture: Coronavirus image. Credit: fotograzia / Getty Images)

Statins save lives by lowering the level of 'bad' cholesterol in our blood, reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes. But warnings about potential aches and pains in our muscles has put off some people from taking them. UK scientists have analysed the best statin trials and found that these side effects are actually rare – and the benefits outweigh the risks. We hear from Professor Colin Baigent in Oxford about how this study should reassure those who need to take them.

On Health Check we like to bring you the best possible evidence – and for that we rely on research which has been peer reviewed. Professor Matt Fox from Boston University explains how scrutinising the research of his peers takes time and is unpaid – a situation which he believes is unsustainable.

The bleeding disorder haemophilia B means the blood doesn’t clot properly, so a cut or even a bruise can have serious consequences. Elliott who lives in the UK is one of the first people to try a new gene therapy which has effectively cured his haemophilia.

And we hear news of a study which claims that tea drinkers might live longer.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Paula McGrath

(Picture: A generic pack of statins with a stethoscope. Photo credit: Roger Ashford/Getty Images.)

In the week that a case of Ebola has been confirmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the WHO calls for support to help at-risk countries to make lifesaving drugs available in case the virus spreads. The UK researchers who saved many thousands of lives with Covid treatments are now testing antivirals against monkeypox.

And New Scientist's medical writer Clare Wilson explains how long Covid lingers in our bodies - and why thinking hard makes you tired.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Erika Wright

(Image: Health workers helping an Ebola patient outside an isolation tent, Beni, Democratic Republic of Congo. Credit: Fiston Mahamba / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images)

A new Covid vaccine – which targets both the original virus and one of the latest Omicron variants – has been approved for use in the UK. About half of the 26 million older and vulnerable adults in the UK who are due a booster this autumn should get the new vaccine.

There’s news of British scientists changing the blood group of donated kidneys – which could boost the supply of organs for transplant. Professor Magdi Yaqoob says switching to blood type O means the organs can be transplanted into any patient. We hear from Ravi Singh whose life was transformed last month when he got a new kidney from a live donor. He wants everyone to discuss donating with their family and to carry a donor card.

The pandemic delayed hospital treatment for many – so to help deal with waiting lists some hospitals are trying out 'overlapping' surgery – with one senior surgeon supervising two operating theatres, and more junior surgeons carrying out the more straightforward parts. When it was tried in the US there were concerns around consent and safety but we hear how only doing 30 minute procedures means that a month’s worth of operations can be done in a day.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Paula McGrath

(Picture: Surgeons in an operating room with an organ transplant box. Photo credit: Plan Shooting 2/Imazins/Getty Images.)

In the pandemic when intensive care units were full and visitors were not allowed some families kept in touch using phones and tablets. A new study in the UK shows that this “virtual” visiting did help to reduce the distress felt by relatives – and the practice still continues to keep families in touch when they live far apart.

Training relatives to give medicines at home to ease their loved ones’ symptoms at the end of life was pioneered in Australia. This week a specially-adapted version of the caring@home programme is being launched to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island families. The practice is catching on in the UK - we hear from Mark who helped ease his mother’s pain and nausea at the end of her life.

Dr Graham Easton from Barts and the London has news of a study from India showing how small differences in the beating heart could help to predict the risk of diabetes developing. He also warns that doctors need to stop fat shaming people to help them lose weight – and how blood pressure should be taken in both arms.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Paula McGrath

(Picture: A patient in an intensive care unit on a ventilator. Photo credit: Jackyenjoyphotography/Getty Images.)

In the cut throat world of work, can bosses be kind? Claudia Hammond unpicks the psychological evidence from around the world to find out if it’s possible for managers to be both kind all the time and successful.

The quest starts with Thom Elliot Co-founder of Pizza Pilgrims in the UK, who deliberately set out to foster a kind culture in a sector not exactly known for its benevolence. They're joined for pizza by Prof Robin Banerjee, architect of the Kindness Test to discuss the findings and examine whether kindness in business really does result in success. Joe Folkman is the perfect person to ask. He runs an evidence based leadership development firm in the US. It turns out there's a strong correlation between being likeable and effectiveness. Such concepts are backed up by a relatively new field of research called 'ethical leadership' pioneered by Professor Mike Brown.

Claudia meets former head teacher Ros McMullen who tells some home truths about leadership in a culture of relentless pressure and accountability.

Plus Lisa Smosarski, editor in Chief of Stylist magazine shares shocking office stories of the 'Devil Wears Prada' era and discusses wider societal shifts that may be contributing to a kinder culture in her industry.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Erika Wright

What can the latest research tell us about whether there is any such thing as pure kindness? Claudia Hammond meets a man who has done an exceptionally altruistic act for someone who was seriously ill. What prompts acts of kindness like this? Specialists from the fields of psychology and neuroscience unpick the evidence.

Producer: Geraldine Fitzgerald

As Marburg virus cases are confirmed in Ghana, Dr Graham Easton discusses the importance of a swift response.

BBC Africa correspondent Charles Mgbolu reports from Nigeria on the relationship between monkeypox emergence and smallpox eradication.

Plus Claudia hears good news from Dr Jaekeun Park at the University of Maryland about progress on making a universal flu vaccine.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Erika Wright

(Picture: Marburg virus, cut-away illustration. Photo credit: Roger Harris/Science Photo Library/Getty Images.)

As Covid cases rise new recommendations from European health agencies back over 60s to get boosted. Professor Monica Lakhanpaul from University College London explains that this is before the rollout of updated vaccines to target specific variants. Monica also discusses her own research with village communities in India working to benefit infant nutrition.

Also, with the numbers of teenagers experiencing mental health difficulties rising in many parts of the world some schools have turned to mindfulness classes. But how effective are they? Co-author professor Willem Kuyken discusses the results of the long awaited eight year study. Plus is there such a thing as too much confidence?

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Erika Wright

(Photo: Multiple vials of booster vaccine on a conveyor belt in a pharmaceutical factory. Credit: SDI Productions/Getty Images)

Claudia Hammond is at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition in London looking at the latest medical research. Claudia speaks to Professor Tamar Makin and designer Dani Clode to find out whether a third thumb might be handy. Dr Simon Gubbins explains how to use genetic technology to head off the world’s next pandemic before it happens. And Claudia hears from Dr Georgina Girt why llamas are special. They’re certainly cute with their pointy ears and their long eyelashes, but they can also develop tiny antibodies that could protect humans against numerous different diseases. Plus senior lecturer, Chloe James on the super powers of bacteriophages and how they work as puppet masters.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Erika Wright

(Picture: Health Check presenter Claudia Hammond tries on The Third Thumb at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition. Photo credit: BBC.)