Health Check

Egypt has almost eliminated the 'silent killer' hepatitis C – less than a decade after having the highest number of cases of the virus in the world. A new report from the World Economic Forum details how they managed to screen almost the whole adult population and treated those infected with the virus which can cause liver damage and even cancer. Professor Imam Waked from the National Liver Institute explains how other countries like Rwanda and Georgia are now following suit – but not quite at the rapid pace which Egypt managed.

There is currently a rise in cases of cholera in Syria, and outbreaks of malaria and dengue fever in Pakistan, but for opposite reasons. The first is caused by a drought, and the latter by a flood.

And what psychology can tell us about the behaviour of crowds when there’s a false alarm but people feel genuine fear.

And James Gallagher reveals what nightmares and learning a musical instrument tell us about our brains.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond

(Picture: Labourers line up for Hepatitis C screening at a construction site in Egypt in 2017. Photo credit: Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images.)

The trial of a malaria vaccine in Burkina Faso has revealed promising results, protecting young children from being infected by the parasite for a second season. Most malaria deaths are in children under five in sub-Saharan Africa. We hear from one of the research team Professor Katie Ewer, about how difficult it is to create a malaria vaccine. It’s hoped that the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer in Pune, India, will make enough of the vaccine to make it available to every child who needs it in the next few years.

A new study has shown that forehead thermometers are not as accurate at picking up high temperatures in black patients as they are in people with white skin. Family doctor Ann Robinson explains how worrying symptoms could be missed in some patients, leading to health inequalities if we rely on devices which are only tested on white skin.

And how walking can help to reduce our risk of dementia – and also help tired parents get their crying babies off to sleep.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond

(Picture: A child receives a malaria vaccination at Yala Sub-County hospital, Kenya, in October 2021. Photo credit: Brian Ongoro/AFP/Getty Images.)

China has approved the first nasal Covid vaccine inhaled up the nose. James Gallagher, BBC Health and Science correspondent explains how a sniffed vaccine primes the immune system.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond

(Picture: Coronavirus image. Credit: fotograzia / Getty Images)

Statins save lives by lowering the level of 'bad' cholesterol in our blood, reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes. But warnings about potential aches and pains in our muscles has put off some people from taking them. UK scientists have analysed the best statin trials and found that these side effects are actually rare – and the benefits outweigh the risks. We hear from Professor Colin Baigent in Oxford about how this study should reassure those who need to take them.

On Health Check we like to bring you the best possible evidence – and for that we rely on research which has been peer reviewed. Professor Matt Fox from Boston University explains how scrutinising the research of his peers takes time and is unpaid – a situation which he believes is unsustainable.

The bleeding disorder haemophilia B means the blood doesn’t clot properly, so a cut or even a bruise can have serious consequences. Elliott who lives in the UK is one of the first people to try a new gene therapy which has effectively cured his haemophilia.

And we hear news of a study which claims that tea drinkers might live longer.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond

(Picture: A generic pack of statins with a stethoscope. Photo credit: Roger Ashford/Getty Images.)

In the week that a case of Ebola has been confirmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the WHO calls for support to help at-risk countries to make lifesaving drugs available in case the virus spreads.

And New Scientist's medical writer Clare Wilson explains how long Covid lingers in our bodies - and why thinking hard makes you tired.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond

(Image: Health workers helping an Ebola patient outside an isolation tent, Beni, Democratic Republic of Congo. Credit: Fiston Mahamba / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images)

A new Covid vaccine – which targets both the original virus and one of the latest Omicron variants – has been approved for use in the UK. About half of the 26 million older and vulnerable adults in the UK who are due a booster this autumn should get the new vaccine.

There’s news of British scientists changing the blood group of donated kidneys – which could boost the supply of organs for transplant. Professor Magdi Yaqoob says switching to blood type O means the organs can be transplanted into any patient. We hear from Ravi Singh whose life was transformed last month when he got a new kidney from a live donor. He wants everyone to discuss donating with their family and to carry a donor card.

The pandemic delayed hospital treatment for many – so to help deal with waiting lists some hospitals are trying out 'overlapping' surgery – with one senior surgeon supervising two operating theatres, and more junior surgeons carrying out the more straightforward parts. When it was tried in the US there were concerns around consent and safety but we hear how only doing 30 minute procedures means that a month’s worth of operations can be done in a day.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond

(Picture: Surgeons in an operating room with an organ transplant box. Photo credit: Plan Shooting 2/Imazins/Getty Images.)

In the pandemic when intensive care units were full and visitors were not allowed some families kept in touch using phones and tablets. A new study in the UK shows that this “virtual” visiting did help to reduce the distress felt by relatives – and the practice still continues to keep families in touch when they live far apart.

Training relatives to give medicines at home to ease their loved ones’ symptoms at the end of life was pioneered in Australia. This week a specially-adapted version of the caring@home programme is being launched to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island families. The practice is catching on in the UK - we hear from Mark who helped ease his mother’s pain and nausea at the end of her life.

Dr Graham Easton from Barts and the London has news of a study from India showing how small differences in the beating heart could help to predict the risk of diabetes developing. He also warns that doctors need to stop fat shaming people to help them lose weight – and how blood pressure should be taken in both arms.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond

(Picture: A patient in an intensive care unit on a ventilator. Photo credit: Jackyenjoyphotography/Getty Images.)

In the cut throat world of work, can bosses be kind? Claudia Hammond unpicks the psychological evidence from around the world to find out if it’s possible for managers to be both kind all the time and successful.

The quest starts with Thom Elliot Co-founder of Pizza Pilgrims in the UK, who deliberately set out to foster a kind culture in a sector not exactly known for its benevolence. They're joined for pizza by Prof Robin Banerjee, architect of the Kindness Test to discuss the findings and examine whether kindness in business really does result in success. Joe Folkman is the perfect person to ask. He runs an evidence based leadership development firm in the US. It turns out there's a strong correlation between being likeable and effectiveness. Such concepts are backed up by a relatively new field of research called 'ethical leadership' pioneered by Professor Mike Brown.

Claudia meets former head teacher Ros McMullen who tells some home truths about leadership in a culture of relentless pressure and accountability.

Plus Lisa Smosarski, editor in Chief of Stylist magazine shares shocking office stories of the 'Devil Wears Prada' era and discusses wider societal shifts that may be contributing to a kinder culture in her industry.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond

What can the latest research tell us about whether there is any such thing as pure kindness? Claudia Hammond meets a man who has done an exceptionally altruistic act for someone who was seriously ill. What prompts acts of kindness like this? Specialists from the fields of psychology and neuroscience unpick the evidence.

Producer: Geraldine Fitzgerald

As Marburg virus cases are confirmed in Ghana, Dr Graham Easton discusses the importance of a swift response.

BBC Africa correspondent Charles Mgbolu reports from Nigeria on the relationship between monkeypox emergence and smallpox eradication.

Plus Claudia hears good news from Dr Jaekeun Park at the University of Maryland about progress on making a universal flu vaccine.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond

(Picture: Marburg virus, cut-away illustration. Photo credit: Roger Harris/Science Photo Library/Getty Images.)