Health Check

African HIV research now makes up almost a third of total research being conducted into the virus. A new study highlights how it has increased from just 5 per cent in 1986. But there’s still a way to go until the quantity of research reflects the burden of HIV infections on the African continent. Claudia Hammond speaks to Professor Thumbi Ndung’u and Dr Omolara Baiyegunhi from the Africa Health Research Institute in South Africa about the future of research being conducted in Africa by Africans and why it matters.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is now the fastest growing liver disease in Europe. It already affects 38 per cent of people around the world. We hear from Vienna in Austria where a mobile clinic is offering people liver scans, and specialists have been teaching school children about liver health.

Dr Ann Robinson joins Claudia in the studio to discuss the latest health research including a US study with good news for people diagnosed early with a skin cancer known as melanoma. And a simple reason why staying up late might mean you won’t live as long as someone who enjoys an early start to the day.

And who better to crunch the data on siestas than the President of the Spanish Federation of Sleep Medicine Societies. Dr Carlos Egea explains how the modern siesta is more about taking a short time to relax, rather than a long afternoon sleep.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond

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When the Myanmar military staged a coup d’état in February 2021, many healthcare workers became the first government employees to react, announcing a boycott of state-run hospitals. Today, there are doctors, nurses and other health workers providing services across the country, outside of state hospitals and often in secret. Claudia Hammond hears how they are struggling to provide clinics with dwindling resources and equipment and about the impact it’s having on people’s health.

We hear from Salvador in Brazil where a joint effort between local people, the Federal University of Bahia and the University of Liverpool is aiming to track rats to try to control the spread of the bacterial disease Leptospirosis.

And Professor of Integrated Community Child Health at University College London, Monica Lakhanpaul brings us new research to discuss on the effects of polluted water on babies, why taking a short nap might be good for brain health. And an early study that suggests the painful condition Endometriosis, where tissue from the lining of the uterus moves to other organs in the body, might be caused by bacteria. If the link exists, could it provide hope for new treatments?

Presenter: Claudia Hammond

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Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne disease which spreads to humans and can cause fever and severe joint pain, sometimes felt long term. It’s most common in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. But just like better known diseases Dengue and Zika, outbreaks look set to become more widespread as the world warms. We hear from Josie Shillito who caught Chikungunya while working on the island of Réunion. And Reader in Virus Evolution at Imperial College London, Dr Nuno R. Faria gives his reaction to news of the first phase three vaccination trial for the disease.

In the first of a new series where we try to answer your health questions, we hear from Steve from New Zealand who wants to know about the connection between migraines and vertigo. Dr Michael Strupp, Professor of Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology at the University of Munich sheds some light.

BBC health reporter Philippa Roxby joins Claudia Hammond to discuss the latest health research. This week we hear about a shortage of blood available for transfusions across Sub-Saharan Africa. A study from the US estimating how many lives of people with covid would have been saved if the vaccines had been shared evenly around the world; How a drug more commonly used to treat diabetes might lower the risk of developing long covid. And a study from Taiwan where subterranean robots have been used to destroy mosquito breeding sites in sewers.

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Presenter: Claudia Hammond

When China abruptly ended its tough lockdown policy in December 2022, Covid cases in the country rose rapidly. The Government’s official death toll was 121,000, but medical epidemiologist Ray Yip is one of several experts estimating it could have been much higher. Now China is experiencing another wave of Covid-19 fuelled by the Omicron variant, but this time the nation seems determined to continue with normal life. Claudia Hammond speaks to journalist Cindy Sui who has interviewed Chinese people about how authorities are handling the virus.

Claudia investigates the rise of medical journals and events, which might not be what they first appear. So called ‘pseudo-journals' have even been known to accept complete fiction.

She is also joined by professor of Epidemiology at Boston University Matt Fox to discuss recent trials of a new low cost meningitis vaccine in Mali and The Gambia. If rolled out it could protect against the five main meningococcal strains found in Africa. And a new way of detecting dangerous blood loss after birth. A randomised trial shows a plastic drape, costing between 1 and 2 US dollars might significantly lower the number of deaths by post-partum haemorrhage.

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Presenter: Claudia Hammond

As Uganda approves some of the harshest anti-LGBTQ legislation in the world, we hear from Dr Chloe Orkin, Professor of infection and inequities at Queen Mary University in London about the impact the new laws are already having on HIV health services.

Strict abortion laws in some US states are causing women to travel hundreds of miles to terminate their pregnancies across state lines. In the latest in our series on the health impacts of the US Supreme Court ruling on abortion, Claudia Hammond discusses the mental health consequences that these abortion restrictions can have. She speaks to Nancy Davis from Louisiana who had to travel over 1,300 miles to New York for a medically advised abortion after being told her unborn baby would not live to term. We also hear from Dr. Katherine Wisner, Professor of Psychiatry and Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Northwestern University in Chicago, who has researched the mental health ramifications of abortion restrictions.

BBC health and science correspondent James Gallagher discusses the reaction to a new UK study which claims that including certain foods and drinks can prevent age related memory loss. And how researchers in Canada and the USA have discovered a new superbug killing antibiotic using AI.

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Presenter: Claudia Hammond

As new research is released showing that lower back pain is the leading cause of disability across the world, we ask Professor of musculoskeletal health at Sydney university, Manuela Ferreira what we can do to reduce the risks.

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Presenter: Claudia Hammond

Home testing kits for screening people for signs of diseases have become more and more common in recent years. Now a study in the US shows that mailing women from low-income backgrounds tests for HPV, almost doubled the uptake of cervical screening. So, is ‘do-it-yourself’ testing the answer for other conditions, in other countries? Claudia discusses with BBC health and science journalist Philippa Roxby.

Dr Ike Anya is a consultant in public health and published author. He explains why he hopes his new memoir ‘Small by Small’ about his student days spent studying medicine in Nigeria might inspire medics all around the world to share their own experiences.

We hear from the USA, where new nutritional standards on school meals aim to limit the amount of added sugar and salt in children’s’ lunchtime meals.

Philippa looks at the World Health Organisation’s decision to declassify the Covid-19 pandemic from being a global health emergency. And she brings Claudia a study that shows why taller people with long legs might have an advantage against stockier competitors in extreme sports events held in the heat.

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Presenter: Claudia Hammond

One in four babies around the world is born too small. Either preterm, small for gestational age, or with a low birthweight. We hear from maternal health advocate Ashley Muteti from Nairobi in Kenya who has had three small babies, one of whom, Zuri, died after 49 days. Now a group of doctors is calling on health leaders around the world to focus on these ‘small and vulnerable newborns’, suggesting a series of small interventions for pregnant women which they say could save a million babies’ lives every year.

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Presenter: Claudia Hammond

Medical professionals in Khartoum tell us how they are managing to continue their work to treat people in hospitals despite the ongoing violence in Sudan. Some hospitals are out of service and doctors say they are struggling to secure medical supplies.

There is evidence that high blood pressure in young people in England is going undiagnosed, and levels are rising in the USA. Dr Graham Easton looks at the latest. He also discusses new research which may lead to earlier diagnosis of the degenerative condition Parkinson’s disease by testing for a build-up of abnormal proteins.

Ian Temple has Parkinson’s disease, but that hasn’t stopped him dancing. He is part of a group run by the English National Ballet for people with Parkinson’s. We hear from a dance class, and Elke Kalbe, Professor of medical psychology at the University of Cologne, explains how physical exercise like this might benefit people with the condition.

And have you ever heard someone with a near death experience recount that their life flashed before their eyes? We discuss new neuroscience which might explain the phenomenon.

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Presenter: Claudia Hammond

Addressing racial diversity amongst doctors can improve outcomes for people in their local communities. We speak to Dr Monica Peek, Doctor of Internal Medicine and Professor for Health Justice of Medicine at the University of Chicago, about a new study showing that a 10 per cent increase in black representation amongst clinicians increased life expectancy for black people by more than 30 days.

BBC Health and Science Correspondent James Gallagher looks at an international decline in childhood vaccine take up during the Covid 19 pandemic. He discusses a new study which links taking a long afternoon nap with obesity and high blood pressure.

And have you ever sensed that someone was with you when you were actually completely alone? It happened to polar explorer Luke Robertson in 2016 when he became the first Scottish person to trek solo to the South Pole. In his book ‘Presence: The Strange Science and True Stories of the Unseen Other’, psychologist Ben Alderson-Day tries to make sense of the phenomenon which has been known to affect many people from Polar explorers, to people with sleep disorders or Parkinson’s disease.

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Presenter: Claudia Hammond