Health Check

The telehealth industry is booming, but a new investigation reveals a hidden network of medical groups fuelling the rise of online prescriptions for weight-loss drugs. Are patients being put at risk in this rush for GLP-1 medications?

Also on the show, we get an update on how a decade of research into digital avatar therapy is helping patients with psychosis challenge the voices they hear. Plus, how does the experience of egg donation vary around the world?

Presenter: Claudia Hammond

A new study from America looks at the safety of organ transplants between people with HIV. Its promising results raise the potential for expanding access to life-saving treatments.

This week's show also examines a surprising resurgence of scurvy, a disease often associated with historical poverty. Is the current cost of living crisis contributing to nutritional deficiencies? Plus, an update from the Africa CDC reveals encouraging news about the Marburg virus outbreak, but a grim warning about the spread of Mpox.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond

Can rapid diagnostic tests make a difference in the fight against malaria? A new study tries to quantify the real-world difference these tests are making.

Also on the show, what can we learn from a single documented case of a medical anomaly: like the recent study of a break dancer presenting with a thickened skull. And Claudia learns to surf – all in the name of health.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond

The discovery of Micro RNA has won the Nobel Prize for medicine. We learn more about what micro RNA is, how it contributes to gene regulation, and what that means for our health.

Also on the programme, there has been an outbreak of Marburg virus in Rwanda, and the pharmaceutical company Gilead is making a revolutionary HIV medication available to countries that need it most. But does this good news story have an unexpected downside. We learn more on Health Check.

As mpox continues to spread to new places, we find out how the vaccine rollout is going and what more needs to be done to help both contain and better understand the virus.

Also on the show; why the first medication approved to treat schizophrenia in decades has the world of psychiatry excited, and how finding out what doesn’t work in health care can be just as useful as knowing what does. Plus, can laughter help treat dry eye disease?

Presenter: Claudia Hammond

As vector-borne diseases begin to spread more widely around the world, we look at why, what the effects are, and what can be done.

Also on the program, a new study has examined the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic, what did they find, and how is this different from previous papers? And can space flight age you? A new study tries to find out.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond

The Taliban has denied reports that they are halting polio vaccines in Afghanistan – so what is going on? We take a look at what is happening in the country, and how it could effect polio eradication efforts worldwide.

Also on the show, an important U.S. pathogen database loses funding, and why placebos that cause you pain may be more effective.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond

As Haiti expands its state of emergency to cover the entire country, we take a look at the deterioration of the country’s healthcare system.

Also on the show, how does long covid affect children, is a global twin book just down to IVF, and we hear from you about objects associated with grief that have sentimental importance.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond

Mpox vaccines are finally arriving on the African continent, but are they getting to the places that need them most? We look at what the situation is, and why it can take so long for vaccines to get where they are needed.

Also on the show, can you catch up on missed weekday sleep on the weekends, and the test that shows promise for new snakebite treatments.

In 2017, Adam Tjolle accidentally discovered he had a brain tumour. At the time, presenter and close friend Claudia Hammond followed him on his journey before, during and after undergoing life-changing surgery. Meeting up now in Malawi, Adam and Claudia listen back to the old recordings and reflect on what has changed for Adam since his operation.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond