Health Check
- Episódios
- 326
- Publicação
- semanal
- Último episódio
- 11 nov 2026
Sobre o podcast
Health issues and medical breakthroughs from around the world.
Episódios 326
Should you allow your teenager to take protein powders?
How young is too young to start using protein powders in the hope of building muscle? The twelve-year-old son of BBC health reporter Nat Wright has been asking to try it, so she has been investigating the …
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How young is too young to start using protein powders in the hope of building muscle? The twelve-year-old son of BBC health reporter Nat Wright has been asking to try it, so she has been investigating the health science behind protein powders and whether we can have too much protein - she shares her findings with our presenter, Claudia Hammond.
Claudia is joined by BBC health reporter Philippa Roxby to discuss a new study which says that one in four adolescents worldwide reported having zero active days per week in 2025. On average, adolescents reported being active for just 2.7 days a week, with the World Health Organisation pointing out that in the past fifteen years there has been almost no progress in getting teenagers moving.
Philippa also tells us about a new way of reducing anxiety levels in children going into surgery using virtual reality, as well as research that people who frequently startle or jolt awake while falling asleep report poorer sleep quality, greater insomnia severity and higher anxiety.
And we hear about a substance that can be painted onto teeth to stop cavities without the need for drilling or injections. Margherita Fontana, dentist and Professor of Dentistry at the University of Michigan, tells us about silver diamine fluoride and how it could be particularly effective in the care of young children.
Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producers: Jonathan Blackwell and Hannah Robins
The challenges of thalidomide-related disabilities and age
The survivors from the generation of children born suffering the effects of thalidomide – limb deformities, sight and hearing problems, internal damage and more – are still living with the impact. And now, to …
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The survivors from the generation of children born suffering the effects of thalidomide – limb deformities, sight and hearing problems, internal damage and more – are still living with the impact. And now, to add to the challenges they’ve faced for decades, they’re getting older. Health Check's Matthew Kenyon reports from an international conference of thalidomide survivors in the Netherlands.
Also, a series of papers published in The Lancet argues that men’s poor health and premature death globally are not driven by biology alone, but by the environments in which they live and work - yet men’s health receives little attention in policy. Claudia Hammond is joined by BBC Brazil reporter Camilla Mota to discuss.
Claudia and Camilla also look into a study from Iceland which found that schoolwide mobile phone bans were not associated with meaningful changes in adolescent mental health or related social and behavioural outcomes. And they discuss newly trialled custom socks that stiffen your foot, which scientists believe could make walking more efficient.
And we hear from Professor Fiona Wood from the burns service of Western Australia, who pioneered the development of spray on skin that helped to treat Bali bombing victims in 2002. She's received one of the Royal Society’s most prestigious awards – the Royal Medal.
Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Jonathan Blackwell
Image Credit: The Association of Thalidomide Victims North Rhine-Westphalia e.V.
First human case of Shamonda virus
The first human case of Shamonda virus has killed a man in his 60s in France. Claudia Hammond is joined by professor of epidemiology and global health at Boston University, Matthew Fox, to discuss how this …
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The first human case of Shamonda virus has killed a man in his 60s in France. Claudia Hammond is joined by professor of epidemiology and global health at Boston University, Matthew Fox, to discuss how this cattle virus made its way into a human and the implications of this.
Could staying active before surgery help prevent postoperative delirium? Health Check hears from Dr Jeffrey Huang, senior anaesthesiologist at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida and Professor of Oncology Science at the University of South Florida, who has found that regular physical activity before cancer surgery was linked to a 50% lower risk of developing postoperative delirium.
Brown fat is a type of fat which plays an important role in keeping the body warm in cold temperatures, but new research finds it also could impact the likelihood of developing mental health disorders. Claudia speaks with cardiologist Dr Paul Cohen, associate professor and head of the Laboratory of Molecular Metabolism at Rockefeller University, to learn more.
Claudia and Matthew also discuss whether wearing noise cancelling headphones while under general anaesthesia reduces post-operative nausea and vomiting? And what do our eyebrows really tell people about our confidence?
Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producers: Georgia Christie, Jonathan Blackwell & Helena Selby
Solving the mystery of allergies
In this week's Health Check, Claudia Hammond looks at a new study in mice that examines two longstanding questions about allergies: why do they often emerge only after repeated exposure to the allergen and why …
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In this week's Health Check, Claudia Hammond looks at a new study in mice that examines two longstanding questions about allergies: why do they often emerge only after repeated exposure to the allergen and why do people with one allergy often develop other allergies as well? Claudia speaks to a scientist who has been attempting to solve these mysteries; Dr Caroline Sokol, from the Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology in the Mass General Brigham Department of Medicine, Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School, and member of the Ragon Institute. Her paper has just been published in the journal Immunity.
New research published in Sports Medicine Open suggests that air pollution, and in particular nitrogen dioxide, is associated with impaired performance in marathon runners. Jane Burston is founder and chief executive of a philanthropic foundation called the Clean Air Fund, which funds projects to reduce air pollution, and discusses the implications of these findings with Claudia.
Joining Health Check from Berlin is Andrew Green. Reporting the latest news from the Global World Health Summit in Berlin, Andrew also discusses with Claudia the research findings that taking paracetamol may blunt our fear and make us more prepared to take risks. And they examine the results of a new study which investigated whether pre-school children are more creative than adults or whether they are just more confident.
Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producers: Helena Selby and Jonathan Blackwell
What happens in the ovaries postmenopause?
Perhaps contrary to popular belief, it is not all over for ovaries once a woman is post-menopausal. In a study published in Aging Cell, researchers studying the ovaries from 28 women found that even though …
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Perhaps contrary to popular belief, it is not all over for ovaries once a woman is post-menopausal. In a study published in Aging Cell, researchers studying the ovaries from 28 women found that even though their reproductive function ceases, the ovaries remain biologically active and continue to change in the decades after menopause. Francesca Duncan from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Northwestern University and the Buck Institute for Research on Aging joins Claudia to discuss the findings.
Joining Claudia from Ghana is Vanessa Apea, a genito-urinary consultant and HIV expert. Providing another piece of the food allergy jigsaw puzzle, they discuss new research which has found that eating eggs and peanuts in pregnancy and whilst breastfeeding does not protect infants from developing those allergies.
Pooled tuberculosis testing could halve costs and help identify millions of missing cases, finds a new study published in The Lancet Global Health. The strategy involves testing combined samples from multiple patients and only individually retesting if a pooled test comes out positive. Joining Claudia to discuss are Mbuli Cyrille, technical assistant with the National Tuberculosis Control Program in Cameroon and Tom Wingfield, an infectious diseases doctor and researcher at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.
Claudia and Vanessa also discuss research just presented at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Congress 2026 in Vienna which has found that nail detachment and discolouration is more common among GLP-1, weight loss drug, users. Why might this be? And a new study, published in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology suggests that late-night eating has been found to be bad for your liver. Health Check examines these findings.
Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producers: Helena Selby & Jonathan Blackwell
Should we be worried about the plague?
This week, Claudia is joined in the studio by Clare Wilson, Science writer at The i Paper.After a 28-young woman who was studying infectious diseases in a lab in Siberia has died from pneumonia, Health Check …
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This week, Claudia is joined in the studio by Clare Wilson, Science writer at The i Paper.
After a 28-young woman who was studying infectious diseases in a lab in Siberia has died from pneumonia, Health Check takes an in-depth look at the plague, examines what we know about what has happened and asks how worried we should be about this news.
A new series of papers from the journal, The Lancet, argue that the scale of young people’s digital media use and emerging evidence of harm justify preventative action now. Claudia Hammond speaks to Amy Orben, Research Professor at the University of Cambridge to discuss why it is difficult to gather evidence of harm, whether there is sufficient evidence of harm to encourage intervention and what these potential interventions could be to keep social media usage safe and moderate.
Researchers have developed a ‘speech clock’ which can analyse a person’s voice and estimate their biological age from hundreds of acoustic and linguistic characteristics of their speech. Using machine learning, they recorded the voices of nearly 3000 participants from Latin America and analysed hundreds of features capturing how people speak and what they say. Machine learning models then generated an individual speech age gap - the difference between a person’s speech-predicted age and their actual age - which is associated with multiple independent markers of biological aging, brain health, cognition, social adversity and dementia. The results have just been published in the journal Science Advances. Claudia looks at the potential implications of this ‘speech clock’ and asks how useful it is to measure biological aging.
And does sleeping with your dog disrupt your sleep? We tend to think that dogs disturb the sleep of humans, but not much research been done and previously results have been conflicting. A new study conducted in Ontario and published in PLOS One examines this very question, which Claudia discusses with studio guest Clare.
Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producers: Jonathan Blackwell and Helena Selby
Do men and women receive different medical treatment?
Men and women are frequently treated differently by healthcare systems according to a review of global research published in the journal, PLOS One. Women with the same medical conditions as men are less likely …
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Men and women are frequently treated differently by healthcare systems according to a review of global research published in the journal, PLOS One. Women with the same medical conditions as men are less likely to be offered the medical treatments offered to men such as surgery, statins, or strong painkillers. They are also less likely to be offered treatment for conditions like cardiovascular conditions, kidney disease and Parkinson’s disease. Claudia Hammond is joined by family doctor, Ann Robinson, to discuss.
Claudia and Ann also discuss global disparities in access to dermatological care and the announcement that the Jehovah’s Witness ban on accepting blood components in transfusions has been lifted.
Also, for centuries scientists have thought of the brain as a single, unified organ. But new research reveals that what we call the brain could be two distinct organs that evolved independently over hundreds of millions of years. Claudia speaks to Matthew Grubb, Professor of Neuroscience at King's College London, to ask what we can learn from this revelation and whether he now considers the brain to be two organs.
And Paddy Ross, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Durham University, tells us about his research, that children are far more likely than adults to judge a person's emotions by what they hear rather than what they see.
Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Jonathan Blackwell
Could AI improve healthcare in low-income communities?
Health Check discusses the role of AI in healthcare after the announcement that the Gates Foundation will put hundreds of millions of US dollars towards AI access in low-income communities, with an emphasis on …
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Health Check discusses the role of AI in healthcare after the announcement that the Gates Foundation will put hundreds of millions of US dollars towards AI access in low-income communities, with an emphasis on integration in healthcare. Claudia Hammond is joined by Graham Easton, Professor of Clinical Communication Skills at Queen Mary University of London, to ask how AI is already changing the ways in which doctors work.
Health Check reporter Georgia Christie investigates whether the increasing usage of weight loss drugs is changing the products restaurants and food companies are offering to a wider population.
Also, Jessica Ringshaw, clinical neuropsychologist at King’s College London, talks to us about how anaemia in pregnancy is linked to differences in babies' brain development. Babies born to mothers who were anaemic during pregnancy have smaller brain volumes than babies born to mothers who were not according to Jessica’s new study.
And when did you last read a book? Fewer people are reading for pleasure, but getting lost in a good book has repeatedly been linked to substantial cognitive benefits. Claudia and Graham discuss the power of reading and how storytelling can help develop empathy during medical training.
Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Jonathan Blackwell
Expanding reproductive choice in women's sports
The Spanish Football Association has announced a new programme that will make fertility treatments such as IVF and egg freezing available to female players and referees, but what difference will it make and how …
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The Spanish Football Association has announced a new programme that will make fertility treatments such as IVF and egg freezing available to female players and referees, but what difference will it make and how does this move compare to support offered for professional sportswomen globally? Margie Davenport, Professor in Kinesiology, Sport and Recreation at the University of Alberta and retired Team Canada synchronized swimmer explains.
Three kinds of heart attacks that primarily affect women have been redesignated 'primary' attacks in an effort to improve diagnosis and treatment in an area of medicine where women have historically been 'deprioritised'. BBC health reporter Philippa Roxby explains the changes.
In rural Rwanda dust is hard to escape - it’s on the roads, in the fields, and for those living in homes with bare-earth floors, it’s dusty inside too. This has serious effects on air quality in the home, especially for children who are playing or crawling on the ground. Our reporter Ahishakiye Jean d’Amour is in Bugesera district in the east of Rwanda to find out about an organisation called Earth Enable who have developed a safer flooring at an affordable price. Also, the latest on the global rollout of the RSV vaccine. Plus, eye drops to help you see better at night.
Image: Spain's players pose for a team photo before the FIFA Women's World Cup Europe Zone Qualifiers, group C, football match between Spain and England at Mallorca Son Moix Stadium in Palma de Mallorca, on June 5, 2026. (Photo by JAIME REINA / AFP via Getty Images)
Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producers: Hannah Robins and Georgia Christie
Addressing the risks of period pain in childhood
There is still a lot unknown about why period pain can be so intense for some and not others. To find out more, Claudia Hammond speaks with Dr Melissa Lenert, research scientist at the University of Michigan in …
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There is still a lot unknown about why period pain can be so intense for some and not others. To find out more, Claudia Hammond speaks with Dr Melissa Lenert, research scientist at the University of Michigan in the Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Centre. Her new research examines what early risk factors are associated with the intensity and onset of period pain in adolescents.
Claudia is then joined by Rebecca Katz, Professor and Director of the Center for Global Health Science and Security at Georgetown University Medical Center, who has just returned from the 9th World One Health Congress in Lisbon, Portugal. We hear about the public health threats she has been monitoring, including a measles outbreak in Sweden linked to a music festival.
And Health Check listener, Philip in Lagos, Nigeria, got in touch with a question about the link between asthma and the eye condition keratoconus. We spoke to Dr Kareeshma Wadia, a cornea, cataract and refractive surgeon based in Mumbai, India, to get him an answer.
Rebecca also brings us the development that researchers have identified antibodies that could combat alpha-gal syndrome which can cause allergies to meat. And, does the temperature of your morning cup of tea increase your risk for oesophageal cancer?
Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producers: Jonathan Blackwell and Georgia Christie
Vaccinating against skin cancer
Usually when we think about vaccines, we imagine preventing viruses, but could mRNA vaccine technology also be used to reduce skin cancer recurrence? Claudia Hammond discusses the latest trials of this …
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Usually when we think about vaccines, we imagine preventing viruses, but could mRNA vaccine technology also be used to reduce skin cancer recurrence? Claudia Hammond discusses the latest trials of this technology with Dr Matthew Fox, professor of epidemiology and global health at Boston University.
Then, reporter Rogelio Navarro brings us to Mexico City, where researchers at the National Autonomous University of Mexico are developing a rehabilitation program that makes recovery from brain injury more fun. We hear how a videogame - Cañonazo - is helping patients regain mobility without feeling like they’re in physical therapy.
What does it really mean to be hormonal? Claudia speaks with endocrinologist and author of the book Signals, Dr Saira Hameed, to understand how complex the body’s hormone signalling is, the problems hormone malfunctions can cause, and what we can actually do about it.
Claudia and Matthew also discuss how speaking multiple languages can slow brain ageing, and whether major album releases, like Taylor Swift or Harry Styles, increase the number of traffic fatalities?
Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Jonathan Blackwell and Georgia Christie
Understanding OCD
Everyone experiences unwanted thoughts from time to time. But how does it feel to be trapped in a constant cycle of intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviours? This is the reality of life for many people with …
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Everyone experiences unwanted thoughts from time to time. But how does it feel to be trapped in a constant cycle of intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviours? This is the reality of life for many people with obsessive compulsive disorder, a common - but commonly misunderstood - mental health condition.
Today's episode is dedicated to understanding OCD and how it’s treated. Claudia Hammond visits an inpatient OCD treatment unit, Seacole Ward in the United Kingdom, where she meets Albert and Emily who explain what it’s like when life is governed by OCD, and consultant psychiatrist Dr Ilenia Pampaloni who likens intensive treatment to "bootcamp" where patients must face their worst fears 24 hours a day. Claudia is joined in the studio by Dr Bruce Clark, consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist at the Maudsley Hospital in London, to tackle some ingrained OCD stereotypes and dissect the common phrase, "I'm a bit OCD". Bruce offers advice on how to spot early signs of OCD and explains how he stays hopeful because the condition is so treatable.
Details of organisations offering information and support with obsessive-compulsive disorder are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline
Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Gerry Holt Assistant Producer: Georgia Christie
The health threat of rising temperatures
With recent heat waves in many regions of the world, including parts of Asia, Europe and North America, Claudia Hammond speaks to Eran Bendavid, Professor of Medicine and Health Policy at Stanford University …
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With recent heat waves in many regions of the world, including parts of Asia, Europe and North America, Claudia Hammond speaks to Eran Bendavid, Professor of Medicine and Health Policy at Stanford University, about his global study which suggests that older people face dangers from heat exposure at much lower temperatures than previously thought.
Claudia is joined by genito-urinary consultant and HIV expert, Vanessa Apea to discuss the ongoing mpox outbreak in Madagascar. It is the largest ever outbreak of mpox in the country, with authorities dividing vaccine doses into fifths in order to try and offer some protection to as many people as possible.
In addition, Claudia and Vanessa discuss how inflammatory activity may be underrecognised in people with darker skin tones and they also investigate how the immune system adapts as people reach more than 110 years old!
And we hear from Dr. Sriman Swarup, practicing oncologist based in Phoenix, Arizona, about what doctors minding their own business on a flight really think when they hear the words on the tannoy “Is there a doctor on board?”
Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producers: Jonathan Blackwell & Georgia Christie
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Three months since the Ebola outbreak was declared in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, more than 1,900 people have died from the virus, with more than 4200 confirmed cases, making this the second-worst …
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Three months since the Ebola outbreak was declared in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, more than 1,900 people have died from the virus, with more than 4200 confirmed cases, making this the second-worst Ebola outbreak ever. Claudia Hammond speaks to Ebola specialist Bronwyn Nichol, Senior Officer of Public Health and Emergencies for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), to find out what challenges there have been on the ground. Claudia is also joined by global health journalist Andrew Green to discuss efforts to develop a vaccine for the Bundibugyo Ebola virus.
Andrew also updates Claudia on news that US President Donald Trump has signed an order that calls for fewer childhood vaccines and which also recommends splitting the mumps, measles and rubella (MMR) shots. Medical experts have criticised the new order and said it could reduce vaccination rates and expose children to harmful diseases.
In Chile, reporter Jane Chambers shares with us the programmes of non-profit organisation Abrázame to improve the emotional wellbeing, attachment and development of children currently living in residential care or hospital.
We also hear Andrew’s takeaways from the 26th International AIDS Conference which took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which he attended. And Claudia and Andrew discuss the rise of meat allergies caused by ticks.
Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producers: Jonathan Blackwell & Georgia Christie
(Photo: Health workers wearing protective suits assist a patient suspected of having Ebola -KENZO TRIBOUILLARD via Getty Images)
Why are some people microdosing weight loss drugs?
Some people are injecting a fraction of the standard dose of weight loss drugs and hoping to still receive the benefits, but many are doing so without any medical oversight and there could be risks. Makers of …
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Some people are injecting a fraction of the standard dose of weight loss drugs and hoping to still receive the benefits, but many are doing so without any medical oversight and there could be risks. Makers of the drugs say they don't condone people modifying how they use their products. Health journalist Katie Silver speaks to Claudia Hammond about why some people are choosing to microdose these weight loss drugs.
With wildfires spreading across Western Europe, North Africa and Canada, Claudia is joined by BBC Health Reporter Laura Foster to discuss recent studies into the impacts wildfires can have on our health.
Claudia and Laura also talk about new research into fertility and pregnancy loss as well as asking, are we consuming too much protein?
And it is increasingly clear that multiple sclerosis (MS) is linked to Epstein-Barr virus infections, but can we use that knowledge to stop the progression of MS? Claudia speaks with Michael Levy, associate professor at Harvard Medical School and neuroimmunologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital, to understand if viral treatments could halt this disease and why this common virus can cause such severe immune responses in a few individuals.
Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producers: Jonathan Blackwell & Georgia Christie
(Photo:- Hand on belly on gray background - stock photo- Credit: seb_ra via Getty Images)
Steering in the right direction to road safety
Road accidents are a leading cause of death and injury around the world, and in 2020, the UN General Assembly set a target to reduce road deaths by 50% by 2030. Claudia Hammond is joined by BBC Health reporter …
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Road accidents are a leading cause of death and injury around the world, and in 2020, the UN General Assembly set a target to reduce road deaths by 50% by 2030. Claudia Hammond is joined by BBC Health reporter Philippa Roxby to look at new research which explores how road injury trends have changed globally over the past three decades, and discuss what these trends mean for public health and safety.
India is facing shortages of important chemotherapy drugs as the price of the precious metal platinum has soared. Journalist Chhavi Sachdev reports on the situation from Mumbai.
The prediction market platform Kalshi has announced that they will now be allowing users to place bets on the outcomes of clinical trials and FDA approvals. Claudia speaks with Nikola Biller-Andorno, Professor of Biomedical Ethics at the University of Zurich, to understand what this could mean for clinical research going forward.
Also what is really happening to the body when it goes to space? New research suggests our cells react to microgravity in surprising ways. And how introducing fish to rice fields in Senegal could halt the spread of the neglected tropical disease, schistosomiasis.
Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producers: Georgia Christie and Jonathan Blackwell
USA military launches testosterone screening programme
Last week, the US Defence Secretary announced a new policy that will require US military personnel to undergo annual screening for testosterone deficiency, however some health experts have expressed concerns …
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Last week, the US Defence Secretary announced a new policy that will require US military personnel to undergo annual screening for testosterone deficiency, however some health experts have expressed concerns that this program could have negative effects. Claudia Hammond speaks with Gary Wittert, professor of medicine at Adelaide University and consultant endocrinologist at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, to understand more about testosterone and what hormone replacement therapy can do to the body. Many babies receive a vitamin K shot after birth to prevent internal bleeding, but recently more parents are declining this potentially life-saving treatment. Dr Matthew Fox, Professor of Epidemiology and Global Health at Boston University, joins Claudia to explain what is driving this trend, and the evidence behind the jab.
Professor Rebecca Katz from Georgetown University in Washington DC and Director of the Health Security Operations Center has been monitoring disease spread and public health risks during the Men's Football World Cup, and joins Claudia to share what went well and what we have learned through this monitoring process.
A microscopic parasite, cyclosporiasis, is causing a gastrointestinal outbreak in the United States – Matthew and Claudia discuss the possible sources and what is being done to combat it. And, how El Salvador eliminated trachoma – the world's leading infectious cause of blindness.
Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producers: Jonathan Blackwell and Georgia Christie
HIV fears due to Niger’s anti-gay laws
Organisations providing HIV services to gay men have had to close in Niger after a ban on same sex acts. Gay men there fear coming forward to be tested or treated and have lost access to condoms and medication …
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Organisations providing HIV services to gay men have had to close in Niger after a ban on same sex acts. Gay men there fear coming forward to be tested or treated and have lost access to condoms and medication protecting against HIV. Claudia Hammond and health journalist Camilla Mota discuss what this might mean for HIV rates in the country.
We also hear about a US study looking at whether cancer screening rates differ across sexual orientation and gender identity, and discuss the return of a crisis hotline which aims to prevent suicide in LGBTQ+ in the US which had been closed a year ago.
And little is known about how screen time impacts recovery after a concussion. Claudia speaks with Professor Ginger Yang from the Center for Injury, Research and Policy at the Nationwide Children's Hospital in the United States about her new research which found that for teens, the relationship may be more complicated than we thought.
Then reporter Sen Nguyen takes us to Bangkok, where an intrepid group of cyclists are looking to change the city's road culture, and we hear how changes like these could fit into Thailand's proposed Clean Air Bill.
And finally, we hear about how the smell of chocolate could help us to train harder in the gym.
Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producers: Jonathan Blackwell and Georgia Christie
Health challenges after Venezuela earthquakes
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 …
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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 Communication Skills at Queen Mary University of London, who brings us the latest on a Swedish study which suggests a prostate cancer blood test could detect 50 percent more cases, helping significantly reduce needless treatments.
Graham and Claudia also discuss the growing threat of fungal infections and antifungal resistance - the WHO has released a “blueprint” to help countries respond - whilst the USA has published a surveillance report noting the doubling of Candida auris cases between 2022 and 2024 in the country, one of the fungal pathogens the WHO is most concerned about.
Also, while rates of obesity and overweight have continued to rise globally over the last 30 years, a new study has found that the associated cardiac risks of high blood pressure and cholesterol have instead plateaued. Claudia speaks with Paul Franks, professor of genetic epidemiology at Lund University in Sweden, and of translational precision medicine at Queen Mary University, to understand what this trend really means.
And could the parasites carried by feral and stray cats in New York City cause disease in humans?
Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producers: Georgia Christie & Jonathan Blackwell
Image: A general view of a camp where people visit for health aid after the earthquakes that struck Venezuela and other regions in the Caribbean, on July 1, 2026 in La Guaira, Venezuela Image Credit: Edilzon Gamez/Getty Images
Ebola drug trials in the Democratic Republic of Congo
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 …
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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 to explore a range of new health research on display.
We hear about how salt water is being used to try to make lateral flow tests more sensitive and targeted, with Guido Bolognesi and Nguyen Thi Kim Thanh from University College London. They also explain the role gold nanoparticles play in current lateral flow tests, which rapidly diagnose pregnancy or Covid-19.
Claudia also visits a 'microbe zoo' and speaks with Revathy Krishnamurthy from the Quadram Institute of Bioscience in Norwich, England, who explains what phages are, and how they can be harnessed to improve food safety.
Finally, we meet Pat Price, visiting professor at Imperial College London, to learn about the high-energy particles that could kill cancer cells, how they could completely change treatment for patients, and how it’s hoped lasers can help them accomplish it.
Image Credit: Credit: Photo by DIEUDONNE DIROLE/EPA/Shutterstock
Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Dan Welsh and Georgia Christie
Lack of evidence most IVF ‘add-ons’ improve fertility
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 …
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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, New Zealand and the United Kingdom more than 70% of patients pay for at least one of these add-ons. A new review published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology, & Women’s Health journal has found that evidence on the benefits of these add-on treatments is unclear. Claudia Hammond speaks to Dr Sarah Lensen, Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Newborn Health at the University of Melbourne.
Joining Claudia from Ghana is genito-urinary consultant and HIV expert, Vanessa Apea. Claudia and Vanessa discuss a draft African Charter on Family, Sovereignty and Values, which claims that comprehensive sex education, as well as a range of sexual and reproductive health rights, are a threat to African families from foreign ideologies.
They also discuss a report from the Office of Inspector General of US Agency for International Development (USAID) which reveals that President Donald Trump’s administration has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in storage and transportation costs for $9.7 million worth of contraceptives that are being stored in Belgium rather than distributed to the various low-income countries they were intended for. Many of the withheld contraceptives are now expired or unusable due to their removal from temperature-controlled storage.
We also hear from Health Check reporter Jane Chambers in the Chilean city of Valdivia, where wetlands are part of everyday life—and increasingly, part of people’s health. And we hear how faecal-microbiome transplants could improve the efficacy of some antidepressants in patients with major depressive disorder.
Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producers: Jonathan Blackwell & Georgia Christie
The global toll of food poisoning
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 …
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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 academic rheumatologist at the University of Auckland in New Zealand to discuss misconceptions about the disease.
Reporter Tony Vinyoh then brings us to Cameroon, where Mbingo Baptist hospital is creating its own compressed oxygen supply to address the shortages and high costs of life-saving medical interventions.
We also discuss a new wearable ultrasound patch which could detect pregnancy complications in real-time, and we hear about a weekly 5 kilometre run in a park which has grown to become a global phenomenon - with over one million events across 5 continents and 23 countries - promoting regular exercise and well-being.
Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producers: Jonathan Blackwell and Georgia Christie
How reading fiction impacts our mental health
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 …
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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 Kavenna; Dr Paula Byrne, Jane Austen biographer, writer and co-founder of ReLit: The Bibliotherapy Foundation and Ben Alderson-Day, Professor in Psychology at Durham University and lead researcher on ReaderBank, an ongoing research project studying reading, imagination and wellbeing.
With these leading experts in psychology and the literary world, she examines the range of imaginative experiences that fiction readers have, whether novels can deepen our capacity for empathy and the therapeutic effect of reading on our minds.
Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Helena Selby
Health at the football World Cup
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 …
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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 to track threats to health, monitoring the risk of diseases such as measles, dengue and chikungunya.
With the World Cup coinciding with rainy season in Mexico, which also means mosquito season, our reporter Rogelio Navarro in Guadalajara brings us the latest on efforts in Jalisco state to prevent outbreaks of dengue which is transmitted by mosquitoes.
And the potential for health issues due to extreme heat has caused concerns amongst players, spectators and scientists. At the men’s FIFA Club World Cup in the USA last year Chelsea and Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez spoke out about the difficulties of playing in high temperatures. We hear from Norwegian international midfielder Morten Thorsby and Douglas Casa, CEO of the Korey Stringer Institute and Professor of Kinesiology at the University of Connecticut, who have written to tournament organisers, FIFA, calling for stronger heat protection measures for players and spectators.
Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Jonathan Blackwell
Image: Aziz Behich and Mathew Leckie of Australia drink water during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group D match between Australia and Denmark at Al Janoub Stadium on November 30, 2022 in Al Wakrah, Qatar
Seafarer welfare in the Strait of Hormuz
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 …
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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 from the World Health Assembly where WHO member countries come together for form health policy for the year ahead. Global Health journalist Andrew Green reports.
Lots of us love a video game, but for a few the games can start to take over their lives, and the impact of a gaming disorder can be very serious – especially for children. Our reporter Kate Ferguson reports from a specialist clinic in Western Australia to find out how they have been tackling the issue One in four surveyed doctors thought preservation was likely to work in the future, but how might we be preserved and why would we want to be? We unpack the reality of what’s possible now and what might be next.
Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Hannah Robins, Clare Salisbury, Researcher: Scarlett Victoria
This programme was edited on 29/05/2026
Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo
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 …
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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 at Oxford University.
Claudia is joined in the studio by BBC health reporter Laura Foster. They discuss the call for more testing of drugs with under-represented groups, after a study of Black African Americans, smokers, and people with complex health conditions in the US showed that an asthma drug, Tezepelumab, led to 70% fewer asthma attacks in people with severe asthma.
They also hear about new hearing technology which can read peoples’ brainwaves to help people to pick out the single voice they want to listen to in a noisy room. Claudia speaks to Nima Mesgarani, Associate Professor at the Zuckerman Institute at Columbia University in New York.
And Claudia and Laura discuss why some cancer patients would fancy a pre-consultation with an AI avatar before a consultation with their real-life doctor? It's the subject of research by Dr Adam Raben, Chair of Radiation Oncology at the Helen F Graham Cancer Center at Christiana Care in Newark, Delaware, USA; presented at the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology Congress.
Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Jonathan Blackwell & Clare Salisbury
Image: A Congolese health worker checks the temperature to screen a traveller at the Grande Barrier border following confirmation of an Ebola outbreak involving the Bundibugyo strain, at the border crossing point between Congo and Rwanda, in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo May 18, 2026
Why renaming a health condition matters
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 …
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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 Government to work out how much people should be charged for healthcare costs.
We hear from Peru where researchers have been mapping pesticide use and cases of people getting cancer in a major new study. And from the USA where a study on our disease-fighting T cells shows that they become more effective after we’ve eaten a meal.
Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Hannah Robins, Georgia Christie and Jonathan Blackwell
Hantavirus outbreak on cruise ship
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 …
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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 University, who developed the test, explains how it works.
We unpack how the way operations are schedules affects patient outcomes with transplants.
How electricity is improving treatment for patients with a heart rhythm disorder. Professor Oussama Wazni explains how it works.
And how seven rings can translate sign language into text.
Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Hannah Robins & Georgia Christie
Psychedelic drugs as treatment
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 …
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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 of these drugs.
A novel house design, called “Star Homes”, which promote airflow, block insects, and feature rainwater collection systems, can reduce child mortality, demonstrated by a randomised controlled trial in Tanzania. We hear from Professor Lorenz Von Seidlein from the Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit in Bangkok about what makes these homes effective in lowering rates of malaria, diarrhoea and acute respiratory infections.
We hear that the Russian health minister has called for 1 in 3 Russians to be tested for HIV annually. Russia has long had high rates of HIV, but it now has the highest prevalence in Europe, with particularly high rates among Russian troops since the beginning of the Ukraine war.
We also hear from David Méary, associate professor at the Université Grenoble Alpes, about whether infants have a sense of beauty. And Claudia and Camilla discuss habits that drive salt consumption in older people.
Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Hannah Robins and Jonathan Blackwell
Making surgery safer for infants
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 …
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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 at Boston University in the US, Dr Matthew Fox, Claudia hears about a mystery illness that is being investigated by health officials in Burundi, which has caused five deaths and sickened thirty-five people. So far lab analysis of the illness - which causes fever, vomiting, and diarrhoea - has been negative for Ebola and Marburg viruses, Rift Valley fever, and others.
We hear about influential analysis from Cochrane which has concluded that "breakthrough" Alzheimer's drugs are unlikely to benefit patients. Researchers said the impact was "well below" what was needed to make a difference to dementia patients' lives. However, their report has also provoked a vicious backlash from equally esteemed scientists who label it as fundamentally flawed.
We’re joined by health journalist Katie Silver in Mexico, who brings us the news that the President, Claudia Sheinbaum, has announced the details of a plan to introduce universal healthcare – no mean feat in country of 130 million people.
And we hear about an experiment that was done by academics to see if they could trick AI chatbots into believing in an entirely fake disease.
Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Jonathan Blackwell
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