Monkeypox is spreading in more than 20 countries where previously it has not been seen, but BBC Health reporter Smitha Mundasad explains that this is not a new disease. Presenter Claudia Hammond hears of an outbreak of a more serious strain in an area of the Democratic Republic of Congo that has no experience of Monkeypox. Professor Wim van Damme got in touch about his research trip to Maniema, a rural DRC province with more than 500 cases and 50 deaths. Plus, professor of virology Penny Moore d...
May 25, 2022•26 min
Reports from North Korea have suggested a scarcity of data on healthcare provision but Claudia hears from Professor Hazel Smith who has researched North Korea for over thirty years that there is good information about health services. And do doctors have a professional duty to be kind? The General Medical Council in the UK are consulting on whether to require doctors to ‘treat patients with kindness’ and some have not taken kindly to the idea. Louella Vaughan, a hospital consultant in acute medi...
May 18, 2022•26 min
Brand new results of a fourth Covid booster trial, with a mix and match approach including half doses, reveals good news for global vaccine rollout. BBC Health and Science correspondent James Gallagher explains. Plus evidence from Ohio where Professor Ihuoma Eneli's new paper shows how weight gain increased markedly in low-income US children and teenagers during early Covid-19. And the science of dreams, Claudia Hammond speaks to Brazilian neuroscientist Sidarta Ribeiro about his new wide rangin...
May 11, 2022•26 min
Claudia is joined by Matt Fox, Professor of Global Health at Boston University to discuss evidence investigating a hybrid combination of Covid vaccines and prior infection. Dr Vineet Arora explains how best to support health care workers who have received online attacks for trying to correct inaccurate information during the Pandemic. And advice for parents on how to cope when their children are having mental health problems from authors Roz Shafran, Alice Welham and Ursula Saunders. Presenter: ...
May 04, 2022•26 min
Update on the latest global research into Covid-19 with BBC Health Reporter Smitha Mundasad and Claudia talks to the authors of a new study charting brain development over the human life span. Could this be a useful tool to understanding how the brain varies over populations and over time and what are the ethical questions involved? Plus if you carry excess weight, what difference does it make to your health if those extra kgs are round your waist or hips? Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Er...
Apr 27, 2022•26 min
Using the results of the Kindness Test, which 60,000 people took part in, Claudia Hammond asks whether we are kinder to people who we think are like us? And what happens once we move beyond family and friends to acquaintances and strangers. What can the evidence tell us about who it is that we choose to be kind to and why? Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Erika Wright
Apr 20, 2022•26 min
Claudia Hammond talks to Chris Gill, Associate Professor at Boston University School of Public Health and co-author of a new paper revealing the devastating impact of Covid in Zambia. By conducting post mortem Covid swabs on more than 1000 bodies taken to a morgue in Lusaka, his work suggests a staggering 90% undercount of cases and goes a long way to countering the so called African Paradox – a narrative suggesting that Africa skipped Covid. Jane Chambers reports from Chile on progress to get 9...
Apr 06, 2022•26 min
Claudia Hammond talks to an Ukrainian psychotherapist about the increased demand for her services since Russia invaded her country. Is multiple sclerosis caused by a virus? Health Check looks at the latest evidence pointing to Epstein Barr virus, which more commonly causes glandular fever or mononucleosis. The discovery offers hope for a vaccine and new more effective treatments. Family doctor Ann Robinson joins Claudia to discuss the Epstein Barr findings as well as the extra risk of being infe...
Mar 30, 2022•28 min
The number of new Covid-19 infection cases worldwide has jumped by 10%. Tabitha Mwangi, Programme Manager at Cambridge Africa at Cambridge University, gives us a rundown of how that overall increase is playing out in different parts of the world. Hong Kong had been one of the most successful places at controlling Covid-19 but recently faced the highest death rates in the world. What went wrong? We hear from Vivian Wong, a public health advisor and honorary professor of Chinese Medicine at the Un...
Mar 23, 2022•33 min
Although the world might not feel like a very kind place at the moment, this might be just the time when acts of kindness matter the most. This week, Claudia Hammond reveals the results of the world's largest public science project on kindness. With over 60,000 participants from 144 countries, this unique study helps to fill some of the research gaps and learn more about how kindness is viewed within society at large. What is kindness? Are we more or less kind than before? Where do acts of kindn...
Mar 16, 2022•29 min
Claudia Hammond explores how children think with two psychologists; Dr Victoria Simms from Ulster University who researches how children’s understanding of maths develops and professor Teresa McCormack from Queens University Belfast who researches how children understand time. The discussion was recorded in front of an audience at the Northern Ireland Science Festival in February 2020. Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Caroline Steel (Photo: A group of preschool children sitting on the floor ...
Mar 10, 2022•26 min
Health issues and medical breakthroughs from around the world. Hundreds of thousands are fleeing the conflict in Ukraine, and not all of them are Ukrainians. The country has a sizeable population of overseas medical students, many from African and Asian countries. Mathew Kalu is a Nigerian-born medical doctor who has lived in Ukraine for 12 years. He tells us why Ukraine is the go-to destination for so many future doctors and how he is helping them leave the country safely. Is the news cycle mak...
Mar 03, 2022•27 min
This week on Health Check, polio makes an unwelcome return to the African continent and measles cases are soaring among children in Afghanistan. We hear from WHO spokesperson Dr Margaret Harris and Médecins Sans Frontières’ Sarah Vuylsteke and Maxime Pirard who are based at Herat Regional Hospital in western Afghanistan. We also hear how the pandemic has impacted children worldwide, from disruption to routine vaccination services to studies suggesting high mortality rates among children with Cov...
Feb 23, 2022•39 min
People die waiting for replacement hearts, lungs and kidneys. Could genetically modified pigs be the solution to a worldwide shortage of organ donors? We meet the teams that have had impressive recent successes transplanting pig organs into people. We’ll explore the huge leaps of genetic engineering that are making 'xenotransplantation' possible and ask if it’s even ethical to try. In the studio with Marnie Chesterton, Dr Graham Easton guides us through the science of getting pig organs to work ...
Feb 16, 2022•28 min
Breast cancer makes up a third of all cancer diagnoses for black women and for those with the most common type of cancer, ER-positive (estrogen or oestrogen positive) cancers, black women are 42% more likely to die of the disease than white women. The reasons for these disparities are complex and include socio-economic factors and racism. There is also a historical absence of samples from black women in research databases and lack of inclusion in clinical trials. Researchers at Stanford Burnham ...
Feb 09, 2022•27 min
The pandemic has caused many people to die alone in hospital intensive care units - whilst others have died at home without the support and pain relief they needed. The Lancet Commission on the Value of Death is calling for a radical change in how we approach death. Co-author Dr Libby Sallnow explains what makes a good death, and palliative care consultant Dr M R Rajagopal shares how communities have transformed palliative care in Kerala, India. Mixed messaging around Covid vaccines for pregnant...
Feb 02, 2022•26 min
Positive results for a handful of patients on a trial in the United States offers hope for the millions of people around the world living with sickle cell disease. Doctors say the gene-editing therapy literally 'turns back the clock' by reducing the number of red blood cells that are sickle-shaped and increasing the type that a baby has, which can carry more oxygen around the body. Other cheaper, more widely-available medications can work, but we hear how the health of sickle cell patients depen...
Jan 26, 2022•27 min
As Omicron spreads across the US, Claudia Hammond is joined by Professor Matt Fox from Boston University to discuss the latest Covid-19 news, including President Biden’s pledge to make high-quality masks available across the country. Wheezing and feeling breathless is a fact of life for the 262 million people around the world who have asthma. Some worry that exercise will worsen their asthma symptoms. But UK researchers say that evidence shows that all people with asthma can exercise safely – ev...
Jan 19, 2022•26 min
Tabitha Mwangi, programme manager at Cambridge Africa at Cambridge University, joins Claudia to discuss the latest on the rapid spread of Omicron across Europe and the factors behind the waves of Covid-19 infections in Kenya. In light of the controversy surrounding Novak Djokovic’s participation in the Australian Open Tennis tournament, Dr Maggie Wearmouth explains the rare instances where people can be medically exempt from having a Covid vaccination. Also, what do the lung scans of Covid-19 pa...
Jan 12, 2022•26 min
As millions of us have had to stay away from our workplaces during the pandemic, Claudia Hammond explores the psychology of working from home versus the office. Some people have loved not having to commute and quietly beavering away at home, but others have missed the buzz of the office, found balancing family and work at home very difficult with lack of space or limited internet access. So in the future when Covid is less of a worry what does the evidence tell us about where it’s best to work? ...
Jan 05, 2022•26 min
In the past philosophers and scientists have argued about the nature of animal minds: Darwin thought they differed from us only by degree but Descartes believed they were merely machines made of flesh. Anthro-zoologist from the University of Sussex Dr Karen Hiestand wants to find out if our pets really care about us so she filmed owners pretending to be hurt to monitor the reactions of their dogs and cats. Mental health campaigner Marion Janner says her life was saved numerous times by her suppo...
Dec 29, 2021•27 min
New research on the Omicron variant unpicked by James Gallagher, BBC health and science correspondent. Plus many people listen to music for hours every day, and often near bedtime in the hope of a good night’s sleep. But if you can’t get the tune out of your head could this be counter-productive? In new research, neuropsychologist Michael Scullin of Baylor University has looked at the rarely studied effect of these so called earworms. And could fish oils one day be used to treat some forms of se...
Dec 22, 2021•27 min
Omicron update from James Gallagher, the BBC Health and Science Correspondent. And as New Zealand announce plans to ban cigarette sales to the next generation born after 2008, Claudia reviews the psychological evidence for such a policy working with Professor Robert West. And with wild birds migrating many countries are seeing an increase in Bird Flu. Dr Richard Webby, director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Studies on the Ecology of Influenza in Animals and Birds, exp...
Dec 15, 2021•26 min
News update on the new Omicron variant now in many countries across the world. Plus Hannah Fisher reports on the science of smell and conditions other than Covid where it can be lost. Holly Bradshaw, Olympic pole-vaulter turned psychology researcher discusses the post-Olympic blues with Karen Howells, Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology. And could Viagra be a candidate drug for Alzheimer's disease? This week’s guest is Mathew Fox, Professor of Global Epidemiology from Boston Univers...
Dec 08, 2021•26 min
Omicron Covid variant – what do we know? Claudia examines key questions about the new variant with Professor of Molecular Virology, Jonathan Ball. Plus growing evidence that pollution has a negative effect on our mental health. And a new way of testing for TB in children. Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Erika Wright (Image: Microscopic view of influenza virus cells. Photo credit: Panorama Images/Getty Images.)
Dec 01, 2021•26 min
James Gallagher, BBC health and science correspondent, examines Covid case rates across Europe. A report on a new study documenting the incidence of Typhoid in three capital cities - Blantyre, Malawi and Kathmandu, Nepal, for the first time - plus updated estimates in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Claudia discusses the role of antibiotic resistance and gets an update on a new vaccine for the disease. Remembering Professor Sir Michael Rutter, ‘the father of child psychiatry’ who died recently. And can house...
Nov 24, 2021•27 min
New research on how some people had a level of Covid immunity before the pandemic started. Blood samples showed hospital staff being monitored in the first wave already had protective ‘killer’ T-cells probably from exposure to other viruses related to the one that has swept the globe. The difference between antibodies to an infection and antibodies caused by a vaccine. And the extraordinary story of a woman who rid her body of HIV. Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Erika Wright (Picture: Micr...
Nov 17, 2021•26 min
New antiviral pills to treat Covid are coming thick and fast. Pfizer have just announced their new antiviral Paxlovid in the same week UK’s MHRA was the first country in the world to approve Molnupiravir – Merck’s pill launched last month. So how do the two antivirals compare? And a report from the longest operating milk bank in North America. Since 1974, the Mothers’ Milk Bank in San Jose, California has been collecting breast milk to help nurture vulnerable babies (especially premature ones) a...
Nov 10, 2021•26 min
An International team of scientists has launched a global hunt for rare people who may be genetically resistant to SARS CoV-2 infection. Individuals who’ve been exposed to the virus living in families where everyone else in the household got infected, who repeatedly tested negative and didn’t mount an immune response. Claudia Hammond speaks to immunologist Evangelos Andreakos, part of the team at the Biomedical Research Foundation in Athens about this fascinating quest. And Claudia hears from No...
Nov 03, 2021•26 min
New evidence from Sweden and France on the benefits of mixing and matching doses of different types of Covid vaccine. The impact misinformation around treating Covid with Ivermectin is having on the Neglected Tropical diseases where the drug is known to work. And are oat and soy milks as nutritious as cow’s milk? Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Erika Wright (Picture: A healthcare worker holds vials of the Covaxin and Covisheld vaccines in Allika Village, India. Photo credit: Pallava Bagla/C...
Oct 27, 2021•26 min
