Health Check

Psychedelic drugs as treatment

29 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has just awarded fast track status to three companies developing psychedelic drugs as a treatment for ...

Making surgery safer for infants

22 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We learn about a new injectable microgel to help reduce bleeding in infants who require surgical care. In a mice model, it reduced bleeding by at leas...

Risky requests for unvaccinated blood on the rise

15 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

A minority of patients requiring blood transfusions are increasingly requesting ‘unvaccinated’ blood in the United States, per a new report publis...

How awe can boost your health

08 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

As the Artemis II crew return to Earth, we uncover the health benefits of the feeling of awe with world-renowned expert, Dacher Keltner. We also discu...

What next for sunscreen in Australia?

01 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In Australia last year, it was discovered that hardly any sunscreen products actually offered the protection listed on the bottle. Now the Australian ...

Antimicrobial resistance in conflict zones

25 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

For the last few weeks, the news has been dominated by the situation in the Middle East. Joining Claudia Hammond is BBC Health Correspondent James Gal...

Does your home country impact your cancer risk?

18 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

North Korean defectors and lifelong South Korean residents have significantly different cancer rates, despite their genetic similarities; new research...

Using lasers to fight brain cancer

11 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

New research from Yale shows that aging doesn’t have to result in mental and physical decline. In fact, they found that nearly half of older adults ...

Do collagen supplements really do anything?

04 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Collagen supplements have become increasingly popular over recent years. However, a new review has revealed that although taking collagen may rejuvena...

Could a single vaccine block nearly all viruses?

25 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

A universal nasal spray vaccine that could block nearly all viruses, and possibly also bacteria and allergens has been successful at early stages of r...

Surviving without lungs for 48 hours

18 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

How a patient survived for 48 hours without lungs. Too ill to receive a lung transplant straight away, the man relied on an artificial lung while his ...

Are statins safer than we thought?

11 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Statins are one of the most prescribed drugs in the world as they are highly effective at reducing “bad” LDL cholesterol that causes cardiovascula...

Why do some people hoard?

04 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Many of us can empathise with that feeling of keeping stuff for years and years. We might keep treasured objects with real sentimental value, or we mi...

South African coming-of-age initiations

28 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

For some communities in South Africa coming-of-age initiations are a hugely significant moment, but there have been rising concerns over the safety of...

Could the shingles vaccine really slow down the ageing process?

21 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Joined by BBC Brazil reporter Camilla Mota, presenter Claudia Hammond discusses new research from the U.S. that has found that people who have had a v...

What effect does exercise really have on depression?

14 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We are often told exercise is good for boosting your mood, but a new Cochrane review has looked at what the evidence says about how much difference ex...

China’s latest bid to boost its birth rate

07 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

China has just brought in taxes on contraception including condoms in a bid to increase the nation’s birth rate. What impact could this have when co...

How can we eliminate malaria?

31 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In the past decade there has been little progress in lowering malaria cases, with over half a million people still dying from the mosquito-borne disea...

2025: A big year for tackling malaria

24 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Malaria is still the third biggest killer on the planet and despite decades of serious investment it’s a disease that is still very much with us. Bu...

Behind the Huntington’s disease breakthrough

17 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

James Gallagher joins Claudia Hammond to share his pick for health breakthrough of 2025 – the world's first gene therapy to treat Huntington’s dis...

Shingles vaccine slows the progression of dementia

10 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We already knew that the shingles vaccine reduces the risk of developing dementia, but new research has shown that it also slows the progression of th...

The risky use of skin lightening in children

03 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

New research shows that 20% of children under 5 years old in Nigeria have been exposed to skin lightening products; even by parents who know the risks...

Childhood hypertension becomes more common

26 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A recent meta-analysis finds that childhood hypertension rates (commonly known as high blood pressure) are increasing significantly around the world. ...

The disappearing mid-life crisis

19 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Global health journalist Andrew Green has been looking at the impact of US funding cuts on the global HIV response, and reports his findings from Bots...

Canada loses measles elimination status

12 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week it was declared that Canada is no longer measles free and as a result The Americas have lost their measles elimination status. Claudia is jo...

Cloud seeding to cut air pollution in Delhi

05 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Last week attempts at cloud seeding to reduce pollution in Delhi failed to produce any rain. We catch up with reporter Chhavi Sachdev to find out more...

What surpassing 1.5°C means for global health

29 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said that global warming will ‘inevitably’ surpass 1.5 degrees. What does this mean for global health?...

How impostors distort medical research

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As Japan declares a flu epidemic we find out more about what’s going on in the country, and the potential implications for the flu season ahead in t...

How to prioritise aid in Gaza

15 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As the fragile ceasefire holds in Gaza, we hear about the health impacts and realities of the aid being let into the territory from Olga Cherevko – ...

Immune system researchers win Nobel Prize

08 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded for discoveries that explain how the immune system attacks hostile infections, bu...

Creating human eggs from skin cells

01 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Functional human eggs have been generated using human skin cells in a breakthrough study. What impact could this have on couples with fertility issues...

Trump’s unproven claims on autism and paracetamol

24 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

President Trump has claimed that consuming Tylenol, or paracetamol, whilst pregnant can increase the risk of autism in children; Claudia is joined by ...

More children are obese than underweight

17 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In a ‘historical turning point’ there are now more overweight than underweight children and teenagers worldwide according to a new report from UNI...

The psychology of curiosity

10 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Is curiosity good for us, or should we learn a lesson from what curiosity did to the cat? And why does curiosity drive some people to explore the ends...

Have we found a better alternative to aspirin?

03 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Millions of us take aspirin daily to ward off heart attack or stroke, but a new study has found an alternative blood thinner, clopidogrel, could be mo...

A breakthrough in treating chronic pain

27 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

One in five of us suffer with chronic pain globally and the exact cause of it is often unknown making it very hard to treat. However, in what has been...

Using AI to discover new antibiotics

20 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

AI models have helped to discover new potential antibiotics to treat drug resistant infections of gonorrhoea and MRSA. We speak to Professor Jim Colli...

How plastic harms health

13 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As negotiations for a Global Plastics Treaty are due to conclude at the United Nations, we check in on whether health is on the agenda with Dr Cressid...

Malnutrition in Gaza

06 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

UN-backed experts – the IPC - say the "worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out" in Gaza and that there is mounting evidence that wide...

Making human blood deadly to mosquitoes

30 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Antiparasitic drug Ivermectin has been shown to reduce malaria transmission by making the blood of treated persons deadly to the mosquitoes that carry...

Do you really have a penicillin allergy?

23 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Penicillin is the go-to antibiotic for many common infections - but in the UK more than 1-in-15 adults have a penicillin allergy label on their medica...

HIV prevention drug Lenacapavir recommended by WHO

16 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Lenacapavir has been incredibly promising in trials and now the World Health Organisation have officially recommended the drug for HIV prevention. Smi...

First malaria treatment approved for newborns

09 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Until now there has been no approved treatment for malaria in newborns and infants weighing less than 4.5kg. We hear from families and clinicians firs...

Can bacteria-eating viruses be used to fight superbugs?

02 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Phages are viruses that only infect bacteria. How might they help us tackle antimicrobial resistance? Franklin Nobrega and Esme Brinsden from the Univ...

Childhood vaccination coverage stalls worldwide

25 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There has been immense progress on childhood vaccination since 1974, with over four billion children vaccinated worldwide. So why now are we seeing va...

Future thinking

18 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Thinking about the future comes so naturally to most people that we do not realise what a complicated and essential skill it is. Claudia Hammond and a...

Mpox surging in Sierra Leone

11 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As mpox cases rise in Sierra Leone, we check-in with Professor Trudie Lang to understand the implications of the continuing spread of the disease and ...

Exercise and immunotherapy improving cancer outcomes

04 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A new immunotherapy regime has shown significant improvements in treatment for head and neck cancer. Meanwhile, exercise is boosting outcomes for colo...

A new way to screen for cancer in dense breasts

28 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Women with dense breasts are four times more likely to develop breast cancer than women with low breast density and it’s also harder for cancer to b...

A promising new antimalarial

21 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A new anti-malarial compound has been designed to target disease-causing parasites responsible for up to 90% of malaria cases in humans. Stephanie Tam...

Listening to your body's signals

14 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Claudia is joined by Caroline Williams to learn about the cutting-edge science of interoception – that’s how the brain interprets signals that com...

Shingles vaccine lowers risk of heart disease

07 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Receiving a specific type of shingles vaccine may provide a 23% lower risk of cardiovascular events like stroke or heart failure for up to 8 years. Wi...

Mycetoma’s only research centre destroyed

30 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Amidst conflict in Sudan, the world-leading Mycetoma Research Centre in Khartoum has been destroyed. We talk to the centre’s founder to find out wha...

WHO agrees to a pandemic treaty

23 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After 3 years of discussions, 194 member countries of the World Health Organisation have agreed to the text of a pandemic treaty designed to make the ...

Have we found an animal reservoir of mpox?

16 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Has the long-standing mystery of which wild animals form a reservoir of mpox in the wild finally been solved? Some scientists think they have cracked ...

The Kidney Waiting Game

09 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What would you do if you have always considered yourself healthy and one day you find out that not only is this not the case, but you in fact need a n...

Zimbabwe government takes on ‘friendship benches’

02 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

‘Friendship benches’, a mental health intervention first piloted in Zimbabwe, are now being handed over to the government in that country. It is h...

How do funding cuts feel?

27 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 Alzhei...

Judge blocks further USAID shutdown

19 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A federal judge has said the shuttering of USAID is ‘likely unconstitutional’, while the Trump administration has been ordered to pay back bills f...

Measles spreads in the Americas

12 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Ninety percent of USAID programs cut

05 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 o...

Improving global encephalitis care

26 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 a...

The global oxygen crisis

19 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 wh...

The psychology of nostalgia

12 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 th...

Guinea eliminates sleeping sickness

05 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As Guinea becomes the latest country to eliminate sleeping sickness, how close are we to defeating the disease completely? Also on the program, what d...

USA issues stop-work order on global aid

30 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What will President Trump’s order stopping work on foreign aid projects mean for global health?Also on the program, a new method for repairing heart...

A WHO without the United States

22 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As President Trump signals his intention to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization, what could the global health ramifications ...

The toll of wildfires on health

15 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With extensive wildfires in Los Angeles, we look at the longer-term health impacts of wildfires and why there is still a risk to health after a fire i...

Should we be worried about HMPV?

08 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With reports of rising cases of the respiratory illness HMPV in multiple countries and concern over the risk it poses, we look behind the headlines to...

A Malawi ‘Spay Day’

01 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Claudia Hammond is in Malawi exploring the concept of One Health, where the health of humans, animals and the environment are all linked. Today we’r...

One Health in Malawi

25 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Claudia Hammond is in Malawi exploring a movement known as “One Health”: an approach that calls for collaboration between the fields of human, ani...

2024 in global health: a review

18 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Claudia Hammond is joined by journalist Andrew Green to check-in on their 2024 health predictions and review just how accurate they were. Together, th...

Expanding the anti-malaria toolkit

11 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Researchers have trailed a revolutionary malaria vaccine that uses the entire malaria parasite and is delivered via the bite of a mosquito, offering a...

Genetic risk of diabetes in South Asian populations

04 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A new study in Nature has looked at genetic underpinnings that could lead to earlier presentations of Type 2 diabetes in South Asian populations. Also...

Health crisis in Sudan

27 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As the war in Sudan leads to multiple health crises in the country, we look at what can be done to improve the situation. Also on the show, is climate...

Resistance to leading malaria drug

20 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Some Ugandan children with complicated malaria have shown partial resistance to leading anti-malarial drug artemisinin. What challenge does this pose ...

What a Trump presidency means for global health

13 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As Trump is elected to a second term in office, what will his policies mean for U.S. and global health funding, vaccine distribution and international...

Tuberculosis returns as top infectious disease

06 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A new global report has found that tuberculosis is once again the leading infectious disease causing mortality around the globe, as covid cases recede...

Weight loss gold rush

30 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The telehealth industry is booming, but a new investigation reveals a hidden network of medical groups fuelling the rise of online prescriptions for w...

Organ transplant in HIV+ patients

23 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A new study from America looks at the safety of organ transplants between people with HIV. Its promising results raise the potential for expanding acc...

Rapid malaria diagnoses

16 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 mak...

Micro RNA wins Nobel

09 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 wha...

Mpox widens its reach

02 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Vector-borne diseases

25 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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,...

Polio Vaccination in Afghanistan

18 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Haiti: Healthcare in the Midst of Conflict

11 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 race to distribute Mpox vaccines

04 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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,...

Living with a new brain

28 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In 2017, Adam Tjolle accidentally discovered he had a brain tumour. At the time, presenter and close friend Claudia Hammond followed him on his journe...

The latest on the mpox public health emergency

21 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The World Health Organisation has officially declared the spread of mpox as a public health emergency of international concern. Health Check has been ...

Catching up with Covid

14 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

More than four years after the start of the Covid pandemic, the virus is showing no signs of fading away. This week, the World Health Organisation war...

MPox outbreak worsens

07 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Across the African continent cases of MPox have surged 160% this year. What is behind the spread, and what can be done to stop it? Also on the program...

World’s first Oropouche deaths in Brazil

31 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The world’s first deaths from the mosquito-borne Oropouche virus have been recorded in Brazil. Two women have died from the illness in the state of ...

Systemic racism in health care

24 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Systemic racism affects our wellbeing long before we ever see a doctor. How can the health community address it? Also on the programme, a new malaria ...

Toxic positivity

17 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the last two years, online searches for ‘toxic positivity’ have spiked. In this discussion from the Cheltenham Science Festival, we find out wh...

Steps forward and back in the battle again HIV

10 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A new medication offers a potentially revolutionary disruption in HIV transmission – just as a leading global program to fight the disease gets hit ...

Can light emitting bandages treat cancer?

03 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A special episode from this year’s annual Royal Society Summer Exhibition in London, with Claudia Hammond joined by BBC health and science correspon...

New MPox strain in DRC

26 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week on Health Check, we get an update on a new and concerning strain of MPox that is spreading in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Also on the ...

Why is exercise good for your mental health?

19 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Health Check takes a deep dive into the evidence on the relationship between exercise and mental health. Not just whether getting moving ca...

Is using the internet good for us?

12 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Many of the discussions around how we use the internet focus on its potentially negative impact on our wellbeing, but is that actually the case? A new...

New human cases of bird flu

05 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A third human case of bird flu has been reported in the US in a farmworker in Michigan who experienced respiratory symptoms. It follows a recent rapid...