Health Check

On June 24th, twin earthquakes hit Venezuela, and in the weeks since the healthcare system has been overwhelmed with need. Claudia Hammond speaks with International Red Cross representative Paolo Cravero to learn more about the latest health updates on the ground in Caracas, and what is being done to fill the growing gaps in care. Claudia is joined by Graham Easton, Professor of Clinical Communica...

Two Ebola drugs are due to be trialled in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as cases of the disease continue to rise in the country. BBC health and science correspondent James Gallagher joins Claudia Hammond to discuss the new clinical trial, and to update on the latest from the outbreak in the DRC and Uganda. Claudia also visits The Royal Society’s annual Summer Science Exhibition in London...

Many people with infertility use in vitro fertilisation (IVF), however the probability of having a baby following IVF is only approximately 30-40% per cycle and decreases significantly with age. It can be a lengthy and expensive process. Providers sometimes offer ‘add-ons’, additional treatments that they claim could help patients conceive, which are themselves also usually expensive. In Australia...

The WHO has conducted their first global assessment of food contamination in over a decade and found that more than 1.5 million people are killed by food poisoning every year. Dr Ann Robinson joins Claudia Hammond to discuss the common causes of foodborne illness. Gout is a type of inflammatory arthritis which can cause sudden and severe joint pain. Claudia is joined by Professor Nicola Dalbeth an...

How does reading shape our mind and spirit? Why do novels make us feel more human? In front of a live audience at the Hay Festival of Literature & Arts in Wales in the UK, Claudia Hammond looks at the science of what reading does to the mind and explores the profound impact it can have on our lives and well-being. She is joined on stage by award-winning novelist and travel writer Joanna Kavenn...

From heat exhaustion to dengue fever - monitoring public health risks at the biggest tournament in football history. With millions of fans travelling to the USA, Canada and Mexico for the men’s football World Cup, Claudia Hammond speaks to Professor Rebecca Katz from Georgetown University in Washington DC who is the Director of the newly set up Health Security Operations Center, a surveillance hub...

Three months into the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz, we find out about the 20,000 sailors trapped on board with dwindling resources and minimal health provision. We hear from Mohamed Arrachedi, Network Co-ordinator for the Arab World and Iran for the International Transport Workers’ Federation, and Helen Sampson, Emeritus Professor in the School of Social Sciences at Cardiff University. News fr...

An Ebola outbreak that started in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is spreading in the region and has been declared a health emergency. Health Check’s Claudia Hammond has the latest with BBC reporter Emery Makumeno in Kinshasa, Heather Kerr, Country Director for the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in the DRC, and Professor Trudie Lang, head of the Global Health Network...

Global health reporter Dorcas Wangira joins Claudia Hammond to discuss how renaming a common health condition affecting millions of women worldwide hopes to improve understanding, treatment and diagnoses. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) has been renamed polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS). Dorcas also brings Claudia Hammond news of a controversial AI algorithm being used by the Kenyan...

We bring you the latest on the hantavirus outbreak on the cruise liner MV Hondius with BBC health reporter Smitha Mundasad. Endometriosis, where cells similar to the lining of the womb grow elsewhere in the body, can take up to a decade to get diagnosed despite leaving some women in debilitating pain. A new scanning technique hoping to speed up that diagnosis. Dr Tatjana Gibbons, from Oxford Unive...

The American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has just awarded fast track status to three companies developing psychedelic drugs as a treatment for addiction and other mental health issues. It comes after President Trump directed $50million dollars to increase their availability. Claudia Hammond is joined by BBC Brazil reporter Camilla Mota to discuss what claims are made for the effectiveness o...

We learn about a new injectable microgel to help reduce bleeding in infants who require surgical care. In a mice model, it reduced bleeding by at least 50%. Ashley Brown, Professor of Biomedical Engineering at North Carolina State University and UNC Chapel Hill tells presenter Claudia Hammond more about this new material her team has designed. Joined by Professor of Global Health and Epidemiology...

A minority of patients requiring blood transfusions are increasingly requesting ‘unvaccinated’ blood in the United States, per a new report published in the journal Transfusion. Our studio guest today, genito-urinary consultant Vanessa Apea, explains how this can lead to potentially dangerous delays and higher risks. Presenter Claudia Hammond speaks to Dr Angela Wu, from the Centre for Evidence-Ba...

As the Artemis II crew return to Earth, we uncover the health benefits of the feeling of awe with world-renowned expert, Dacher Keltner. We also discuss how we might find more awe in our everyday lives. What impact is the Iran war having on global health? Journalist Andrew Green unpicks the ramifications of shipping restrictions, ‘black rain’ in Tehran and hacking attacks on medical suppliers. How...

In Australia last year, it was discovered that hardly any sunscreen products actually offered the protection listed on the bottle. Now the Australian regulator has finally proposed sweeping reforms in the country known to be a skin cancer hotspot. Dr Michelle Wong, chemist and science communicator of LabMuffin Beauty Science explains what impact the changes might make. Northern Cyprus is one of th...

For the last few weeks, the news has been dominated by the situation in the Middle East. Joining Claudia Hammond is BBC Health Correspondent James Gallagher who speaks with Dr Antoine Abou Fayad, a microbiologist and medicinal chemist based in Beirut, Lebanon. He reveals that war, just like the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, provides the perfect storm to accelerate the spread of multidrug-re...

North Korean defectors and lifelong South Korean residents have significantly different cancer rates, despite their genetic similarities; new research finds. Presenter Laura Foster unpacks this study, explaining what it tells us about how upbringing and environment contribute to different cancer rates, and how migration can change these risks. A new study has found GLP-1s – drugs typically used to...

New research from Yale shows that aging doesn’t have to result in mental and physical decline. In fact, they found that nearly half of older adults actually improved in cognitive or physical ability over a 12-year period. Dr Graham Easton, a family doctor, discusses what this can teach us about what we can and can’t control when it comes to aging. Brain tumours can be notoriously difficult to trea...

Collagen supplements have become increasingly popular over recent years. However, a new review has revealed that although taking collagen may rejuvenate the skin, it won’t stop you from getting wrinkles. Dr Ann Robinson, a family doctor, discusses findings on what collagen is actually doing for your skin. The world is short of nearly a million midwives, a new report in Women and Birth warns. Danie...

A universal nasal spray vaccine that could block nearly all viruses, and possibly also bacteria and allergens has been successful at early stages of research. By leaving immune cells ‘on alert’, they become ready to jump into action no matter what infection tries to get into the body. Dr Matthew Fox, Professor in the Departments of Epidemiology and Global Health at Boston University, explains what...

How a patient survived for 48 hours without lungs. Too ill to receive a lung transplant straight away, the man relied on an artificial lung while his body recovered from an infection. As he prepares to repeat the procedure for the first time, Dr Ankit Bharat, Chief of Thoracic Surgery at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine explains the groundbreaking technique. Radiotherapy for a...

Statins are one of the most prescribed drugs in the world as they are highly effective at reducing “bad” LDL cholesterol that causes cardiovascular disease. A new review in the Lancet has found there are far fewer side effects associated with their use than previously thought. New Nipah cases have been reported in India and Bangladesh. Trudie Lang Professor of Global Health Research at the Univers...

Many of us can empathise with that feeling of keeping stuff for years and years. We might keep treasured objects with real sentimental value, or we might have items for a long time - and yet we can't really explain why. For those of us who don’t like getting rid of our belongings, life can feel very full of stuff. But when does a tendency to hold on to things become more worrying? It can be diffic...

For some communities in South Africa coming-of-age initiations are a hugely significant moment, but there have been rising concerns over the safety of the circumcisions at the heart of this ritual. Forty-eight young men died last year and the government are now introducing measures to tackle the issue. BBC’s southern Africa correspondent Pumza Fihlani reports on the latest. Research suggests our h...

Joined by BBC Brazil reporter Camilla Mota, presenter Claudia Hammond discusses new research from the U.S. that has found that people who have had a vaccine against shingles seem to be aging more slowly. We hear from James Tibenderana, Chief Executive of Malaria Consortium about research from Brazil that shows that as deforestation expands, mosquitoes are increasingly using humans as a blood sourc...