Health Check

BBC World Service

4.3 (107)
HEALTH & FITNESS
UPDATED FORTNIGHTLY

Health issues and medical breakthroughs from around the world.

20 HR AGO

Resistance to leading malaria drug

Some Ugandan children with complicated malaria have shown partial resistance to leading anti-malarial drug artemisinin. What challenge does this pose to treatment efficacy and raising concerns about the potential spread of drug-resistant strains. We speak with Dr. Audrey Blewer, an epidemiologist and assistant professor in the School of Medicine at Duke University, about how 911 dispatchers providing CPR instructions can significantly improve bystander intervention rates, highlighting the critical role of telecommunicators in emergency response. Additionally, does working from home increase the amount of sleep and exercise you can get? We discuss the impact of remote working on health and productivity. Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Margaret Sessa-Hawkins and Katie Tomsett

26 min
13 NOV

What a Trump presidency means for global health

As Trump is elected to a second term in office, what will his policies mean for U.S. and global health funding, vaccine distribution and international health strategies? Also on the program, have you ever wondered what health issues we should worry about if humans settle in space? Claudia speaks with the Wienersmiths, a husband-and-wife team who authored a book exploring the possibility of space colonies, sharing insights on the scientific and logistical challenges of sustaining life beyond Earth. And we hear the latest on Pakistan’s smog crisis, examining its persistent impact on communities and its place within the global issue of air pollution. Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Margaret Sessa-Hawkins and Jack Lee (Image: President-Elect Donald Trump Meets With Biden, Congressional Leaders In Washington. Credit: Allison Robbert-Pool/Getty Images)

26 min
6 NOV

Tuberculosis returns as top infectious disease

A new global report has found that tuberculosis is once again the leading infectious disease causing mortality around the globe, as covid cases recede. We find out what can be done to tackle the issue, and what lessons have been learned in the fight against this pernicious, but largely curable, illness. Also on the show, are we seeing the first cases of locally transmitted Mpox outside of the African continent? And FND, or functional neurologic disorder – the most common disorder you’ve probably never heard of. Image Credit: KATERYNA KON/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

26 min
30 OCT

Weight loss gold rush

The telehealth industry is booming, but a new investigation reveals a hidden network of medical groups fuelling the rise of online prescriptions for weight-loss drugs. Are patients being put at risk in this rush for GLP-1 medications? Also on the show, we get an update on how a decade of research into digital avatar therapy is helping patients with psychosis challenge the voices they hear. Plus, how does the experience of egg donation vary around the world? Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Katie Tomsett and Margaret Sessa-Hawkins

26 min
23 OCT

Organ transplant in HIV+ patients

A new study from America looks at the safety of organ transplants between people with HIV. Its promising results raise the potential for expanding access to life-saving treatments. This week's show also examines a surprising resurgence of scurvy, a disease often associated with historical poverty. Is the current cost of living crisis contributing to nutritional deficiencies? Plus, an update from the Africa CDC reveals encouraging news about the Marburg virus outbreak, but a grim warning about the spread of Mpox. Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Margaret Sessa Hawkins

26 min
16 OCT

Rapid malaria diagnoses

Can rapid diagnostic tests make a difference in the fight against malaria? A new study tries to quantify the real-world difference these tests are making. Also on the show, what can we learn from a single documented case of a medical anomaly: like the recent study of a break dancer presenting with a thickened skull. And Claudia learns to surf – all in the name of health. Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Margaret Sessa-Hawkins

26 min
9 OCT

Micro RNA wins Nobel

The discovery of Micro RNA has won the Nobel Prize for medicine. We learn more about what micro RNA is, how it contributes to gene regulation, and what that means for our health. Also on the programme, there has been an outbreak of Marburg virus in Rwanda, and the pharmaceutical company Gilead is making a revolutionary HIV medication available to countries that need it most. But does this good news story have an unexpected downside. We learn more on Health Check.

26 min
2 OCT

Mpox widens its reach

As mpox continues to spread to new places, we find out how the vaccine rollout is going and what more needs to be done to help both contain and better understand the virus. Also on the show; why the first medication approved to treat schizophrenia in decades has the world of psychiatry excited, and how finding out what doesn’t work in health care can be just as useful as knowing what does. Plus, can laughter help treat dry eye disease? Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Margaret Sessa-Hawkins and Katie Tomsett

26 min

See All (223)

4.3

out of 5

107 Ratings

Brilliant

02/10/2010

Vix144

Informative and interesting, recommended!
Repeats other podcasts

24/02/2022

Tammy, UK

Too many sections taken from Inside Health. Either keep these podcasts separate or put on same feed.
Annoying presenter bit excellent research

11/09/2019

Aminha Canela

“I’m Claudia Hammond...” how many times do you need to tell us? Get we just get on with hearing about the interesting research?
Great podcast

16/07/2019

Caza slim

Relevant and very interesting