BBC Radio Podcasts from Health Check
Nigeria rolls out world’s first 5-in-1 meningitis vaccine
New Men5CV vaccine protects people against five strains of the meningococcus bacteria
How we hope
A discussion from the Northern Ireland Science Festival exploring the psychology of hope.
Puerto Rico declares dengue fever emergency
Cases of the disease continue to surge in Latin America and the Caribbean
Pig kidney transplanted into patient
Gene edited organ transplanted into living person for the first time
Should we stop talking about long Covid?
New research suggests long Covid is indistinguishable from other post-viral conditions
A promising new cancer treatment
Promising results from a global study provide hope for new cancer treatment
One billion obese people
One in eight people worldwide are now obese, but that doesn’t mean they are better fed.
Junior doctors strike in South Korea
More than two thirds of junior doctors continue strike in South Korea
Global Trade v Health Equality
Intellectual property rights on Covid-19 treatments continue to impact poorer countries
Dengue outbreak in Latin America
Dengue clinics set up in Rio de Janeiro’s carnival week amid Latin American outbreak
Getting vaccinations to remote South Sudan
In the midst of flooding, doctors attempt to combat a Hepatitis E outbreak by boat.
Surviving Noma disease
What its like living after having Noma disease as researchers hold an inaugural meeting
Cape Verde eliminates malaria
Cape Verde officially eliminates malaria and Cameroon begins routine vaccinations
Endurance
From rowing across the Atlantic Ocean to running across the Sahara Desert.
Are outcomes better with female surgeons?
Patients treated by female surgeons have fewer adverse postoperative outcomes.
2024 in global health
What health advances, challenges and discoveries will the next 12 months hold?
A year in health in review
The highs and lows of global health news in 2023 reviewed
When will we have an HIV vaccine?
Following failed trials, researchers are worried we won’t get an HIV vaccine before 2030.
Closer to a cure for morning sickness
Researchers work out why some pregnant women are more at risk of morning sickness
How do we know when a mystery illness is serious?
Claudia Hammond hears how unusual health events are identified and investigated.
New Zealand backtracks on smoking ban
New Zealand’s government to scrap world leading ban on tobacco products.
Gene editing treatment approved for sickle cell
UK is the first country to approve Casgevy, but is the drug too expensive for most?
Vaccinating children against chickenpox
Why do some countries vaccinate children against chickenpox and others choose not to?
A drug to prevent breast cancer
Anastrozole can halve your chances of developing breast cancer if you are at high risk.
Warnings over antibiotic resistance in children
A new study shows some antibiotics are now less than 50% effective at treating infections
A musician’s story of coping with schizophrenia
How a mother is supporting her son to perform again after he developed psychosis.
Cholera cases surge in Zimbabwe
Large gatherings are banned in parts of the country after 100 people die of the disease.
US proposes world first policy to reduce STIs
US public health officials consult on prescribing antibiotics after unprotected sex
Malaria vaccine backed by WHO
The World Health Organisation recommends University of Oxford vaccine for global use.
The deadly practice of gum lancing
How the tradition of extracting babies’ teeth used in some communities can be fatal
Could global Aids program be cut?
Some US Republicans call for PEPFAR funding to be stopped over alleged links to abortion.
Do men have a friendship problem?
A discussion on the issues men face with friendship from the Cheltenham Science Festival.
Opioid overdose antidote made available in US
Naloxone made accessible in American pharmacies without prescription for the first time.
What happened to babies with Zika virus
How families in Brazil have been coping with the fallout from the Zika epidemic.
Disgraced surgeon appeals prison sentence
Paolo Macchiarini appeals conviction for transplant surgeries in patients who later died.
Contaminated cough syrup found in Iraq
Cough medicine batch contained unacceptable levels of toxic chemicals says WHO.
A closer look at leprosy
Leprosy could now be endemic in Florida. We look at the disease’s past, present & future.
Henrietta Lacks’ family settle lawsuit
Family of a black woman whose cells were taken settle case with biotech company
Playing catch up on childhood immunisations
How to get children immunised to pre-Pandemic numbers after Covid backslide
A new era for Alzheimer’s drugs?
Global trial confirms Alzheimer’s drug donanemab slows cognitive decline in early stages
Sickle cell disease: Fighting for the future
Better care for people with Sickle Cell Disease after figures reveal its global impact
Drumming for a healthy life
Drumming to Martian technology; Health research at the Royal Society summer exhibition
The future of HIV research in Africa
HIV research by African academics has increased but doesn’t yet reflect the virus’ impact
Healthcare under threat in Myanmar
Healthcare in Myanmar declines as workers say they’ve been targeted by Military Government
A step closer to a Chikungunya vaccine
Advanced vaccine trials for a mosquito-borne disease that’s becoming more prevalent
China's Covid-19 lockdown: What happened next?
Covid-19 cases could rise to 65 million in China, but lockdowns look unlikely
Uganda's anti-gay law and healthcare
Doctors fear Ugandan anti-gay legislation will slow progress on preventing spread of HIV
What can we do about back pain?
600 million people around the world have lower back pain so what can we do to help?
Home testing kits for disease screening
A USA study shows home test kits lead to more women getting screened for cervical cancer
Giving small babies a better start
Simple changes to antenatal care which doctors say could save small babies’ lives
Keeping hospitals open in Khartoum
Doctors working in Sudan share the latest from the ongoing conflict
Why we need more black doctors
Why more black doctors could increase life expectancy of local black people
Malaria vaccines approved first in West Africa
Nigeria follows Ghana in approving malaria vaccine for young children
New way of giving lifesaving drug in childbirth
Trial shows injecting drug into muscle to stop bleeding in childbirth is effective.
Women aren’t being promoted in healthcare
Why more women need to be leaders in healthcare.
Could armpit sweat help tackle anxiety?
Researchers test whether sniffing other people’s body odour might have a therapeutic use.
How giving babies peanut butter could cut allergy
Study says giving babies peanut butter could cut allergy by 77%.
Obesity drug: New hope for weight loss?
How a drug designed for diabetes patients could offer hope for obesity
How to cope with earthquake trauma
We assess the mental health toll a month after earthquakes in Syria and Turkey.
Vaccines: A tale of the unexpected
We explore how some vaccines can have positive effects beyond their target
Supporting Ukrainian children
One year on from the start of the war, what support are Ukrainian children getting?
Biting back: The fight against snakebite
What is being done to tackle the issue of venomous snakebites?
Can heat affect mental health?
Researchers in Bangladesh explore links between changes in the weather and mental health
Back from the brink
We’ll hear a doctor and survivor’s stories of cardiac arrest – and have a guide to CPR.
After the floods
A medic describes the situation six months on from the worst floods in Pakistan’s history
The ‘Endo-Monster inside me’
This week, we hear from two women who talk about what life is like with endometriosis.
Family’s gene therapy journey
One family’s quest for their little girl to be treated for an incredibly rare disease
Regret
Claudia Hammond explores the psychology of regret
Can you knit away your worries?
Crochet classes in the pandemic helped to ease stress but it’s hard to prove in studies
Biggest health stories of the year
Our pick of the biggest stories of 2022 – all covered right here on Health Check
Liver drug could be repurposed for Covid
A widely used liver disease drug could be repurposed to stop Covid-19 in its tracks.
How words can save lives
How words can save lives
'Historic' turning point for Alzheimer's
Health issues and medical breakthroughs from around the world.
How to make surgery safer
New evidence shows how simple steps can stop infections after surgery
Genetic disorders and US abortion bans
How US abortion bans are impacting women whose unborn babies show inherited disorders
Psychological nudges for HIV treatment
South Africa’s first HIV “Nudge” Unit
Livers that live longer than we do
The hundred year old transplanted livers still going strong
Long Covid – the latest
What doctors still don’t know about Long Covid
Women and children’s health hit by disasters and Covid
How women and children's health is impacted more by the pandemic and conflict
Can a new star system help us to eat healthily?
How to work out what to eat to stay healthy
'Historic' claims for new Alzheimer’s drug
Treatment hope for Alzheimer’s patients
Floods spreading disease in Pakistan
Floods in Pakistan are causing a rise in waterborne diseases
Egypt’s hepatitis C success story
How Egypt went from having the highest rate of hepatitis C to almost eliminating it
Malaria vaccine effective
Malaria vaccine protects children in Burkina Faso
China approves first inhaled Covid vaccine
China approves first inhaled Covid vaccine
Statins rarely cause muscle pain
Reassurance over risk of statins side effects
Deaths cut with recommended Ebola treatments
Lifesaving Ebola treatments
Transplant hope as kidney blood groups swapped
Changing the blood groups of kidneys could improve access to donated organs
“Virtual” hospital visits cut relatives’ distress
New study: video calls helped reduce distress when relatives couldn’t visit loved ones
Can you be a kind boss?
In the cut throat world of work, can bosses be kind? Claudia Hammond unpicks the evidence
Pure kindness
What can research tell us about whether there is such a thing as an act of pure kindness
Marburg virus cases confirmed
Marburg virus cases confirmed in Ghana following two deaths
New Covid booster recommendations
New Covid booster recommendations as cases rise
Handy third thumb
Could a third thumb be handy?
Polio misinformation
Polio misinformation and why looking after your body clock can be good for your health
Poor Covid immunity after Omicron
New research shows Omicron is 'stealthy immune evader' with poor immunity boost
Next generation Covid vaccines
Next generation Covid vaccines and how noticing our body clocks could improve our health
What brain scans tell us
A new paper described as a bombshell in the world of brain scans
Monkeypox misinformation and stigma
Concerns about monkeypox misinformation and stigma
Monkeypox in central Africa
Monkeypox in central Africa; Covid Variants in South Africa and creams for eczema
Healthcare provision in North Korea
Data on healthcare provision in North Korea
New trial results of a fourth Covid booster
Brand new trial results investigating a fourth Covid booster.
Combined protection of Covid vaccination and prior infection
Evidence investigating a hybrid protection from Covid vaccines and prior infection
New Covid Research
Update on the latest global Covid research
Are we kinder to people like us?
Claudia Hammond asks whether we are kinder to people who we think are like us?
More cases of Covid in Africa than official figures suggest
Results from Zambia suggesting more cases of Covid in Africa than official figures suggest
Treating stress and anxiety in Ukraine
Psychological counselling in Ukraine
What should Hong Kong do about Covid-19?
What went wrong and what should happen next?
The kindness test: The results
Results of the world's largest study of kindness
How children think about maths and time
Doughnuts today or tomorrow? How four-year-olds understand time
Helping children cope with anxiety about war in Ukraine
The news can be distressing. How can we help children who are feeling anxious?
Why measles is sweeping through Afghanistan
Cases rise against backdrop of malnutrition and low vaccination rates
Pig organs for transplant patients
Could pig organs solve the global shortage of hearts and kidneys?
Black women and breast cancer
Why breast cancer kills more black than white women
Bringing death back into life
Experts are calling for a radical change in our approach to death and dying
Gene therapy hope for sickle cell patients
Pioneering gene-editing treatment turns back the clock for sickle cell trial patients
Are people with asthma who exercise healthier?
Exercise may improve quality of life of people with asthma
Omicron set to infect half of Europe
Covid two years on; Omicron predicted to infect half of Europe over the next two months
Home working versus the office
Psychology of working from home versus the office – what does the evidence tell us?
Do our pets care about us?
New study explores if cats or dogs care more about their owners when they’re hurt
New research on the Omicron variant
Omicron variant update and does listening to music near bedtime help you sleep?
Omicron update
Omicron update from James Gallagher, the BBC Health and Science Correspondent
Omicron variant news
News update on the new Omicron variant now in many countries across the world
Omicron Covid variant – what do we know?
Omicron Covid variant – what do we know? And a new way of testing for TB in children
Covid cases across Europe
Covid cases across Europe; Typhoid incidence in Malawi, Nepal and Bangladesh
T-cell Covid protection before the pandemic
New research on how some people had a level of Covid immunity before the pandemic started
New antiviral pills to treat Covid
How do new antiviral pills to treat Covid compare?
Hunt for rare resistance to SARS CoV-2
The global hunt for people with a rare genetic resistance to SARS CoV-2 infection
Mix and match Covid vaccines
New evidence on the benefits of mixing and matching doses of different Covid vaccines
New Covid vaccine
A new vaccine from Valneva produces strong immune response, the French company reports
The legacy of Henrietta Lacks
Henrietta Lacks died in 1951 from cervical cancer, but her cells changed medical history
New antiviral Covid pill
A new Covid pill may cut hospitalisation by about half
Reducing mental health stigma
Talking about mental health reduces stigma
Covid in Vietnam
Covid lockdowns in Hanoi and Ho Chi Min City
Art, gardening and wellbeing during Covid
How art and gardening has saved some people’s mental health during the pandemic
The Kindness Test
What does kindness mean to you?
Antibody cocktails against Covid
When should Covid antibody treatment be used?
The psychology of courage and bravery
Why are some people able to keep calm in an emergency whilst others panic or freeze?
Impact of wildfires
Short and long term consequences of fires on health
Twisties and sporting mental health
Twisties and sporting mental health. Shortsightedness in children during the pandemic
Covid vaccination in prisons
Covid vaccination in prisons; do incentives like free tuition get people to get the jab
Could the flu vaccine protect against severe Covid-19?
Assessing the evidence: Can the flu vaccine ameliorate the effects of covid-19?
Mental health recovery stories
How to help people going through mental health crises
Lambda variant of Sars-Cov-2
Is the lambda variant of Sars-Cov-2 evading vaccines?
Mixing Covid vaccines
Mixing Covid vaccines and spreading doses out. Have food labels in Chile reduced obesity?
Tanzania joins Covax
Tanzania joins Covax; the first national TB Survey in South Africa and lockdown memories
New treatment for Covid
New treatment for Covid; Vaccinating a whole town in Brazil; Protection against Dengue
FDA approves new Alzheimer’s drug
Controversial approval of new Alzheimer’s drug; news on chances of catching Covid twice.
Black Fungus epidemic in India
Could over the counter Steroids be driving the Black Fungus epidemic in India?
Is kindness contagious?
New research finds kindness really does spread according to scientists in California
When to have your second vaccine dose?
When to have your second Covid vaccine dose; Ovarian Cancer screening trial; Misophonia
Is BMI an outdated risk measure?
Is BMI an outdated measure for risk of type 2 diabetes in diverse ethnic groups?
Tanzania's new Covid prevention measures
Tanzania's new Covid prevention measures; celebrating the Windrush generation in theatre
India’s Covid-19 surge
India's Covid surge update. New Malaria Vaccine breakthrough. How moving helps our minds
Medical mysteries with neurologist Suzanne O’Sullivan
Neurologist Suzanne O’Sullivan on medical mysteries from around the world
Chile’s vaccine roll out
Covid variants; India’s double mutant. Chile’s vaccine roll out. Dementia and sidewalks
Mental Health and the long term implications of Covid
Mental Health and Covid; Fukushima a decade on; Fast accurate saliva test for concussion
Can we eradicate leprosy?
Senegal has embarked on a campaign to stop the disease in its tracks
Covid vaccines for children
Covid vaccines for children and how to overcome hesitancy in parents
Working with disability
Measures to empower people living with disability in Senegal
Can the common cold prevent Covid?
Can a cold prevent Covid, mental health in Covid medical staff, and our amazing heart.
Combatting mental illness
Mental health issues for breastfeeding mothers and why swimming can help
Vaccine and blood clots
Covid vaccines and blood clots, Tanzania’s hidden epidemic? Haitian healthcare in Chile
Covid-19 vaccination in Africa
How the roll out of vaccines is progressing
Do vaccines cure Long Covid?
Long Covid and vaccines, blood transfusion myths, and Migraines
Modern medicine versus the spirits
Can traditional treatments, including calling on ancestors, help with serious ailments?
Pregnancy and Covid-19 vaccination
Health Check examines the issues around Covid-19 vaccines and pregnancy
Africa’s blood shortage
Why don’t people want to give blood?
Long Covid: solving the mysteries
The UK has launched four major research programmes into Long Covid
Sexual health, Covid-19 vaccines
A neglected area of reproductive health and concerns over Covid-19 vaccination in Africa
Covid surge in Mozambique
Doctor in Mozambique’s largest hospital on the massive surge in Covid cases and deaths
Superbugs and superfoods
How to combat antibiotic resistance and the truth about the health claims of coconut oil
Covid vaccines: bad news, good news
AstraZeneca vaccine disappoints in South Africa but may reduce virus spread elsewhere
Vaccinating Africa against Covid-19
Vaccinating Africa’s 1.2 billion people against Covid-19 & simple sanitation solutions
Covid-19 vaccines prevent 100% of deaths
With a new slew of good Covid vaccine trial results, a remarkable trend emerges
Brazilian city’s Covid crisis: ‘It’s like Hell’
Health system meltdown as coronavirus infections surge in Manaus for a second time
First days of India’s Covid vaccination programme
India’s Covid mass vaccination begins. But there are questions
WHO warns against vaccine rollout unfairness
Are poorer countries missing out in the global vaccine rollout? A warning from the WHO
The first year of the pandemic
The show looks back at the pandemic exactly one year since we first reported its start
How children think about maths and time
Doughnuts today or tomorrow? How 4 year olds understand time
Ambiguous loss: a different kind of grief
Have you lost a loved one who is still a part of your life in some way?
In Iran, one in five infected by coronavirus
Study reveals prevalence of coronavirus infection across Iran, with 72 percent in one city
Gene therapy for sickle cell disease
Gene therapy has transformed the lives of six young people with sickle cell disease
Milestone in HIV prevention for women
African clinical study finds an injection every 8 weeks protects women from HIV infection
Another week, another Covid-19 vaccine success
Good news about Covid vaccines keeps coming but can everyone benefit from the successes?
Measles outbreak threat due to Covid
Disruption to measles immunisation raises the risk of large outbreaks in Africa
Covid vaccine ‘90% effective’
How big a deal is the ‘90% effective’ coronavirus vaccine?
Covid-19 vaccines: Unknowns and dilemmas
What we will not know when the first Covid-19 vaccines are deployed
Covid-19 plasma therapy trial results ‘disappointing’
Indian trial finds that convalescent plasma therapy has little benefit against Covid-19
Coronavirus update
As South Africa goes into lockdown what measures are they taking? Plus big data in Taiwan
Autism: the problems of fitting in
Many people with autism learn strategies to help them blend in: but there can be costs
Lighting the brain after birth
The infra-red device that can detect brain damage within minutes of a baby being born