Health Check

BBC World Service

4.7 (74)
HEALTH & FITNESS
UPDATED WEEKLY

Health issues and medical breakthroughs from around the world.

2D AGO

Zimbabwe government takes on ‘friendship benches’

‘Friendship benches’, a mental health intervention first piloted in Zimbabwe, are now being handed over to the government in that country. It is hoped that this will allow the program to become more widespread. Also on the show, a new device can convert brain signals to speach in nearly real time for those who have been paralysed, a medicine for rare genetic disorders could also make human blood deadly to mosquitos, and the US Food and Drug administration has approved a new first-in-class antibiotic for uncomplicated urinary tract infections. Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Margaret Sessa-Hawkins and Katie Tomsett (Photo: Counsellor "Gogo" Shery Ziwakayi (R) sits on a bench in conversation with a client "Muzukuru" Choice Jiya (L) during a private counselling session at the Friendship Bench in Harare. 4 November, 2022. Credit: Jekesai Njikizana/AFP)

26 min
MAR 27

How do funding cuts feel?

What does it feel like to be part of a study which might have its funding cut? Marty Reiswig has a rare genetic mutation that means he will get Alzheimer’s disease in his forties or fifties. For fifteen years he’s been part of medical studies into his condition, but now, with the NIH announcing funding cuts, he’s worried the studies will stop. Also on the program, would you do CPR on another bystander? A new study finds that speed of response – not how trained you are – is what’s important. So how can we get more people doing this live-saving measure? And MRI imaging indicates that babies might actually be encoding memories. So why can’t we remember what it was like to be that young? Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Margaret Sessa-Hawkins

26 min
MAR 19

Judge blocks further USAID shutdown

A federal judge has said the shuttering of USAID is ‘likely unconstitutional’, while the Trump administration has been ordered to pay back bills for USAID. But what difference is this making on the ground? Global health journalist Andrew Green is in Uganda finding out. Also on the show, a new safety trial shows yearly injections of the drug lenacapivir may be able to prevent HIV transmission, and PCOS and endometriosis are two fairly common gynecological issues, but could they also lead to cardiovascular issues? Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Margaret Sessa-Hawkins and Katie Tomsett

26 min
MAR 12

Measles spreads in the Americas

The Americas are in danger of losing their measles elimination status as the disease spreads due to under vaccination. Also on the show, a study finds that continuous glucose monitors may be overestimating blood sugar levels in healthy adults. And it’s been ten years since Brazil experienced and epidemic of microcephaly due to the Zika virus. What have we learned in that time? Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Margaret Sessa-Hawkins

26 min
MAR 5

Ninety percent of USAID programs cut

As the Trump administration cuts 90% of programs funded by the US Agency for International Development, we look at the effect on global health. Also on the program, violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo is hindering the country’s ongoing MPox response – just as a new, more transmissible strain is discovered. And, a look at an initiative trying to improve women’s mental health in Guatemala. Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Margaret Sessa-Hawkins Assistant Producer: Katie Tomsett

26 min
FEB 26

Improving global encephalitis care

Encephalitis can be a debilitating condition, but many people have never even heard of it. A new global report looks at how we can improve diagnosis and treatment. Also on the program, new research seems to indicate that antidepressents might speed cognitive decline in dementia patients, but do they really? We take a closer look at some of the caveats. And a gene therapy for toddlers who have gone blind is showing some promise, we’ll look into what this could mean for future treatments. Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Katie Tomsett and Margaret Sessa-Hawkins

26 min
FEB 19

The global oxygen crisis

The global need for medical oxygen is high, but there are huge gaps in safe and affordable access. The first report of its kind identifies not only who is most vulnerable, but how the world can strengthen the supply of medical oxygen to improve public health and pandemic preparedness. We hear first-hand the impact of the USAID freeze on health clinicians in practice. And we learn how health systems are rebuilt after conflict, integrating resilience to protect them against future shocks. Also on the show, can weight-loss drugs curb alcohol addiction? Plus, scientists discover it is not just your tongue that can taste sweetness - sweet taste receptors have been found on the heart, and they could play a role in heartbeat regulation. Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Katie Tomsett (Photo: A woman uses an oxygen mask at a medical health centre in Omdurman, Sudan, 3 September, 2023. El Tayeb Siddig/Reuters)

26 min
FEB 12

The psychology of nostalgia

Do you look back on the past with rose-tinted spectacles, memories of the good old days accompanied by warm, fuzzy feelings? Or when you reflect on the past is it hard to do so without a tinge of sadness? Whether you fall on the more bitter or more sweet side, this is the bittersweet feeling of nostalgia. But nostalgia was not always just a feeling. Historian Agnes Arnold Forster tells Claudia and the panel that once it was viewed as a disease so deadly that it appeared on thousands of death certificates. And now this poignant emotion stirs political action, bonds us to others, and guides our very understanding of ourselves. Our expert panel of psychologists; Peter Olusoga, senior lecturer in psychology at Sheffield Hallam University, Daryl O’Connor, professor of psychology at the University of Leeds, and Catherine Loveday, professor of cognitive neuroscience at the University of Westminster, join Claudia in the studio to discuss how leaning into nostalgia can help us feel better, reduce pain, and even inject a bit of romance into life. Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Lorna Stewart Assistant producer: Katie Tomsett (Photo: Pensive woman looking out of the window. Credit: Getty Images)

26 min

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4.7

out of 5

74 Ratings

Great show

04/13/2018

incognito82

I love it
The world's health briefing

07/10/2017

dettifoss

The podcast is very professionally presented, with reports on issues in world health - literally tackling issues and bringing news from every corner of the globe - followed by a studio discussion with a healthcare professional (usually a doctor, but occasionally a journalist specializing in health). Note: this is serious journalism, not faddy health infotainment. I am a better person for listening to Health Check: more knowledgeable and more thoughtful.
Highly recommended

03/31/2013

minarcik

Claudia Hammond, you rock! Thank you for the awesome podcast :)
Outstanding Presentation of a Fascinating Case

09/04/2010

Professor 134

Everyone who studies psychology learns about H.M.--the man who lost his memory. This presentation explains the whole amazing case in considerable detail--but as a very interesting story. And not only do you learn all about H.M.--you hear him too. A real nice guy. An outstanding presentation.