In the week that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that leprosy could now be endemic in the South-eastern United States, Claudia Hammond looks at global action on leprosy with science journalist Kamala Thiagarajan.  There is an international effort to learn more about weaning seriously ill people off ventilator support in hospitals. We hear about the Weansafe study from Ireland. Professor of integrated community child health at University College London, Monica Lakhanpaul joins Claudia in the studio to discuss why the roll out of a new vaccine for RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) in the US could be a gamechanger. And why on your next trip to a hospital, you could see groups of elderly in-patients going on walks. Could it help prevent the effects of bedrest? Image: Leprosy, nerve biopsy, nerve fibres surrounded by histiocytes Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producer: Clare Salisbury

A closer look at leprosy

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There's been a lot of coverage in the media around the world about the mental health difficulties facing boys, but looking at figures for mental health problems in children and teens, there's clearly something going on with girls too. For some years, research has shown more girls are experiencing problems than boys, with a troubling spike in difficulties showing up in the late teens. On today's programme, Claudia Hammond explores the issue with a variety of guests. She visits King's College London's (KCL) Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience to speak to Gemma Knowles, a lecturer in epidemiology and youth mental health; Craig Morgan, professor of social epidemiology and co-director of ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Health; and Valeria Mondelli, a clinical professor of psychoneuroimmunology - about their work with young people, trying to uncover the deeper causes and to find new solutions. She also hears from some of the young people involved in a major study into mental health, conducted by the team at KCL and spanning nearly a decade. Claudia is joined by Dr Linda Blair, a clinical psychologist, who uses her own professional experiences to discuss the trends and challenges of youth mental health. Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producer: Dan Welsh

What’s happening with girls’ mental health?

After a number of incidents around the world so far this year that have left dozens of flyers needing hospital treatment, we look at how a rise in air turbulence because of global warming is leading to more and more injuries to passengers. Professor Paul Williams from the University of Reading in the UK tells us why turbulence is so hard to plan for, how new technology might be able to help solve the problem, and how despite an increase in incidents it’s still incredibly rare to experience extreme turbulence./ Claudia Hammond is also joined by Monica Lakhanpaul, Professor of Integrated Community Child Health at University College London, to look at how a shortage of HPV vaccines is leading to millions of girls across Africa missing out on receiving the shots. Monica also tells us about her new research on the barriers children with epilepsy are facing being able to exercise. We also explore what it’s like for people that don’t have an inner monologue and can’t imagine sounds – a phenomenon known as anauralia. Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producer: Dan Welsh

Is turbulence injuring more and more flyers?

After a 50% jump in meningitis cases reported across Africa last year, Nigeria is becoming the first country to roll out a new 5-in-1 meningitis vaccine. The Men5CV vaccine protects people against five strains of the meningococcus bacteria. Claudia Hammond is joined by New Scientist medical journalist Clare Wilson to discuss how it’s hoped the treatment will help significantly reduce cases of the disease. We also head to Brazil to hear how the country is dealing with long Covid, four years after the pandemic. Clare also tells Claudia about the new cancer treatment testing different drugs on thousands of miniature tumours to see which of them works best. The team behind the research at Florida International University in Miami say they hope it could eventually be used routinely for everyone with cancer.  We also get a new update from British journalist Mike Powell, as we follow his journey after receiving a kidney transplant. And Claudia and Clare look at how patches of skin grafted onto people receiving lung transplants are being used as a way of spotting organ rejection in a new trial. Image Credit: Martin Harvey Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producer: Dan Welsh

Nigeria rolls out world’s first 5-in-1 meningitis vaccine

Claudia Hammond presents a special edition of Health Check from the Northern Ireland Science Festival, where she’s joined by a panel of experts to discuss the psychology of hope. With a live audience in Belfast’s Metropolitan Arts Centre, Claudia speaks to Dr Karen Kirby, senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Ulster; Dr Kevin Mitchell, associate professor of genetics and neuroscience at Trinity College Dublin; and author Sinéad Moriarty. Topics include the role of hope in medical scenarios, if we can learn to be hopeful, and how we can hold onto hope in the modern world. We also hear questions from our audience, including whether or not we should all just lower our expectations. Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producer: Dan Welsh

How we hope

As the recent surge in cases of dengue fever continues across Latin America and the Caribbean, Puerto Rico declares a public health emergency.  Claudia Hammond is joined by Professor of Global Health and Epidemiology at Boston University, Matt Fox, to hear how warmer temperatures have lead to outbreaks of the mosquito-borne disease around the world, with millions of cases reported so far this year. We speak to the artist Jason Wilsher-Mills at his latest exhibition inspired by his childhood experiences of disability, and hear the role it played in his journey into the arts. Claudia and Matt discuss the spread of mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with cases reported in all but 3 of the country’s 26 provinces. We hear from Uganda about the project hoping to help provide essential equipment for safe anaesthesia in children’s surgery.  And the study that says just two nights of broken sleep are enough to make us feel years older. Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producer: Dan Welsh

A closer look at leprosy

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