Health Check

Polio misinformation

29 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Online misinformation about polio has gone global after the detection of so called vaccine-derived poliovirus in London sewage. BBC health and science...

Poor Covid immunity after Omicron

22 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

New research reveals a poor immunity boost after infection with the Omicron variant. Might this explain why getting Covid again has been more common w...

Next generation Covid vaccines

15 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

News about new next generation Covid vaccines that target specific variants is discussed with studio guest, Dr Ann Robinson. Professor Russell Foster...

What brain scans tell us

08 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Brain scans can reveal new ways to diagnose and potentially treat psychiatric, psychological and neurological conditions. But why has the promise been...

Monkeypox misinformation and stigma

01 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Claudia discusses concerns about monkeypox misinformation and stigma with Andy Seale, Senior Strategic Advisor, department of HIV, hepatitis and sexua...

Monkeypox in central Africa

25 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Monkeypox is spreading in more than 20 countries where previously it has not been seen, but BBC Health reporter Smitha Mundasad explains that this is ...

Healthcare provision in North Korea

18 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Reports from North Korea have suggested a scarcity of data on healthcare provision but Claudia hears from Professor Hazel Smith who has researched Nor...

New trial results of a fourth Covid booster

11 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Brand new results of a fourth Covid booster trial, with a mix and match approach including half doses, reveals good news for global vaccine rollout. B...

Combined protection of Covid vaccination and prior infection

04 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Claudia is joined by Matt Fox, Professor of Global Health at Boston University to discuss evidence investigating a hybrid combination of Covid vaccine...

New Covid Research

27 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Update on the latest global research into Covid-19 with BBC Health Reporter Smitha Mundasad and Claudia talks to the authors of a new study charting b...

Are we kinder to people like us?

20 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Using the results of the Kindness Test, which 60,000 people took part in, Claudia Hammond asks whether we are kinder to people who we think are like u...

More cases of Covid in Africa than official figures suggest

06 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Claudia Hammond talks to Chris Gill, Associate Professor at Boston University School of Public Health and co-author of a new paper revealing the devas...

Treating stress and anxiety in Ukraine

30 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Claudia Hammond talks to an Ukrainian psychotherapist about the increased demand for her services since Russia invaded her country.Is multiple scleros...

What should Hong Kong do about Covid-19?

23 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The number of new Covid-19 infection cases worldwide has jumped by 10%. Tabitha Mwangi, Programme Manager at Cambridge Africa at Cambridge University,...

The kindness test: The results

16 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Although the world might not feel like a very kind place at the moment, this might be just the time when acts of kindness matter the most. This week,...

How children think about maths and time

10 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Claudia Hammond explores how children think with two psychologists; Dr Victoria Simms from Ulster University who researches how children’s understan...

Helping children cope with anxiety about war in Ukraine

03 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Health issues and medical breakthroughs from around the world. Hundreds of thousands are fleeing the conflict in Ukraine, and not all of them are Ukra...

Why measles is sweeping through Afghanistan

23 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week on Health Check, polio makes an unwelcome return to the African continent and measles cases are soaring among children in Afghanistan. We he...

Pig organs for transplant patients

16 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

People die waiting for replacement hearts, lungs and kidneys. Could genetically modified pigs be the solution to a worldwide shortage of organ donors?...

Black women and breast cancer

09 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Breast cancer makes up a third of all cancer diagnoses for black women and for those with the most common type of cancer, ER-positive (estrogen or oes...

Bringing death back into life

02 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The pandemic has caused many people to die alone in hospital intensive care units - whilst others have died at home without the support and pain relie...

Gene therapy hope for sickle cell patients

26 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Positive results for a handful of patients on a trial in the United States offers hope for the millions of people around the world living with sickle ...

Are people with asthma who exercise healthier?

19 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As Omicron spreads across the US, Claudia Hammond is joined by Professor Matt Fox from Boston University to discuss the latest Covid-19 news, includin...

Omicron set to infect half of Europe

12 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Tabitha Mwangi, programme manager at Cambridge Africa at Cambridge University, joins Claudia to discuss the latest on the rapid spread of Omicron acro...

Home working versus the office

05 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As millions of us have had to stay away from our workplaces during the pandemic, Claudia Hammond explores the psychology of working from home versus t...

Do our pets care about us?

29 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the past philosophers and scientists have argued about the nature of animal minds: Darwin thought they differed from us only by degree but Descarte...

New research on the Omicron variant

22 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

New research on the Omicron variant unpicked by James Gallagher, BBC health and science correspondent. Plus many people listen to music for hours ever...

Omicron update

15 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Omicron update from James Gallagher, the BBC Health and Science Correspondent. And as New Zealand announce plans to ban cigarette sales to the next ge...

Omicron variant news

08 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

News update on the new Omicron variant now in many countries across the world. Plus Hannah Fisher reports on the science of smell and conditions other...

Omicron Covid variant – what do we know?

01 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Omicron Covid variant – what do we know? Claudia examines key questions about the new variant with Professor of Molecular Virology, Jonathan Ball. P...

Covid cases across Europe

24 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

James Gallagher, BBC health and science correspondent, examines Covid case rates across Europe.A report on a new study documenting the incidence of Ty...

T-cell Covid protection before the pandemic

17 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

New research on how some people had a level of Covid immunity before the pandemic started. Blood samples showed hospital staff being monitored in the ...

New antiviral pills to treat Covid

10 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

New antiviral pills to treat Covid are coming thick and fast. Pfizer have just announced their new antiviral Paxlovid in the same week UK’s MHRA was...

Hunt for rare resistance to SARS CoV-2

03 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

An International team of scientists has launched a global hunt for rare people who may be genetically resistant to SARS CoV-2 infection. Individuals w...

Mix and match Covid vaccines

27 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

New evidence from Sweden and France on the benefits of mixing and matching doses of different types of Covid vaccine. The impact misinformation around...

New Covid vaccine

20 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

New Covid vaccine from Valneva produces stronger immune response when compared to AstraZeneca, the French company reports, with no severe cases of Cov...

The legacy of Henrietta Lacks

13 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Henrietta Lacks died in 1951 from a virulent cervical cancer. A sample of those cancer cells was taken at the time, and the way they behave has change...

New antiviral Covid pill

06 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Trials stopped early of a new Covid antiviral pill, Molnupiravir, as it may cut numbers of people in hospital by about a half. Claudia Hammond discuss...

Reducing mental health stigma

22 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Many people have struggled with their mental health during the pandemic, but still don’t always feel free to discuss it, especially at work. Stigma ...

Covid in Vietnam

15 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In 2020 Vietnam ran a successful track and trace system, with very few coronavirus infections and for a long time no deaths at all, while other countr...

Art, gardening and wellbeing during Covid

08 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How art and gardening has saved some people’s mental health during the pandemic. Claudia visits the most wonderful allotment to find out how one com...

The Kindness Test

01 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When was the last time you did something really kind for someone or someone else did something really kind for you? Claudia Hammond and guests are loo...

Antibody cocktails against Covid

25 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Trials have shown that cocktails of antibodies are effective against Covid, and one called Ronapreve has just been approved for use in the UK, followi...

The psychology of courage and bravery

18 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The adventurer and ultra-runner Alex Staniforth talks about his survival on Everest following the devastating Nepalese earthquake in 2015. Rachel Mann...

Impact of wildfires

11 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Claudia Hammond and her studio guest global health journalist Sarah Boseley discuss the health impact of the fires that are raging in many places incl...

Twisties and sporting mental health

04 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

USA gymnast Simone Biles won Olympic bronze but withdrew from earlier events due to ‘The twisties’ and resulting mental health issues. Family Doct...

Covid vaccination in prisons

28 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

New research on Covid vaccination in prisons. Plus can financial incentives like free tuition or free cruises encourage people to get the jab? Samara ...

Could the flu vaccine protect against severe Covid-19?

21 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A really intriguing finding on flu vaccines - that they might offer some protection not just against flu, but against the most serious effects of Covi...

Mental health recovery stories

14 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Claudia Hammond presents three stories where people have helped someone who’s going through mental health difficulties. Dale had spent his childhood...

Lambda variant of Sars-Cov-2

07 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The lambda variant of coronavirus, first seen in Peru and Chile, has now spread to 27 other countries and new research just out suggests it’s better...

Mixing Covid vaccines

30 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

New evidence on whether mixing Covid vaccines and spreading doses out gives better results.Plus, has five years of food labels in Chile warning of hig...

Tanzania joins Covax

23 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As Tanzania joins Covax, Rhoda Odhiambo discusses the challenges ahead and says 'joining' makes it sound simple but the requirements that need to be p...

New treatment for Covid

16 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Good news that a new treatment for Covid could help one in three people in hospital. Results are from the Recovery trial in the UK using an infusion o...

FDA approves new Alzheimer’s drug

09 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Aducanumab the controversial new drug for Alzheimer’s disease, just approved by the FDA in the US is the first approved breakthrough in nearly 20 ye...

Black Fungus epidemic in India

02 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Could over the counter Steroids be driving the Black Fungus epidemic in India? Claudia talks to Dr Awadhesh Singh from the GD Hospital and Diabetes In...

Is kindness contagious?

26 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The kind boss who transformed their employee's mental health – Natalie and Gillian share their amazing story with Claudia Hammond. And new research ...

When to have your second vaccine dose?

19 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

New evidence for when to have your second Covid vaccine dose; Plus the long awaited results of a 20 year trial into Ovarian Cancer screening and wheth...

Is BMI an outdated risk measure?

12 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

New research from The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal shows current body mass index [BMI] guidance is outdated and dangerous for people fr...

Tanzania's new Covid prevention measures

05 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As Tanzania announces new Covid prevention measures after the new president instigates a change in response to the pandemic, correspondent Rhoda Odhia...

India’s Covid-19 surge

28 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As India surpasses 200,000 Covid deaths Claudia asks why the surge has been so steep and hears the latest from health reporter Anoo Bhuyan in Delhi. A...

Medical mysteries with neurologist Suzanne O’Sullivan

21 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Claudia Hammond hears stories of medical mysteries from author of Sleeping Beauties and consultant neurologist Suanne O’Sullivan. From the refugee c...

Chile’s vaccine roll out

14 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Claudia and guest Professor Matthew Fox from Boston University discuss the latest Covid-19 research this week – and there’s plenty of it! There’...

Mental Health and the long term implications of Covid

07 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Mental Health and Covid; Claudia examines a large new Lancet Psychiatry study showing that one in three people develop anxiety, depression or a neurol...

Can we eradicate leprosy?

01 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Despite the myths and fear which surround leprosy it can be treated and prevented with a short course of antibiotics. The disease is spread by a bacte...

Covid vaccines for children

31 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Vaccine hesitancy and Covid vaccines for Children. Claudia talks to paediatrician Dr Robert Jacobson of the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA abo...

Working with disability

26 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In Senegal there are a range of measures to help people living with disabilities enter the workforce, however overcoming attitudes is still a major is...

Can the common cold prevent Covid?

24 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Claudia talks to her guest Dr Ann Robinson about a new study from the University of Glasgow in the UK that suggests the virus that causes the common ...

Combatting mental illness

19 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In Nigeria we meet someone who finds that swimming can help alleviate her depression and we discuss how self-esteem as well as diet can impact a new m...

Vaccine and blood clots

17 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As further European countries announce precautionary suspension of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine over fears it may have caused blood clots in a very ...

Covid-19 vaccination in Africa

12 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As the roll out of vaccines across Africa gathers pace we look to the future, how vaccination may help ease travel restrictions and ways to convince t...

Do vaccines cure Long Covid?

10 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A significant proportion of sufferers of Long Covid are reporting that their symptoms lessen or disappear completely after receiving a coronavirus vac...

Modern medicine versus the spirits

05 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When it comes to mending broken bones or rectifying the eye problems caused by the disease Trachoma, what place does traditional medicine have? Many p...

Pregnancy and Covid-19 vaccination

03 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Health Check looks into issues around Covid-19 vaccination and pregnant women.Harvard researcher Julia Wu has just done a global survey of attitudes o...

Africa’s blood shortage

26 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We’re looking at why levels of blood donation in Africa are so low compared with other parts of the world. From Nigeria we hear about hospitals havi...

Long Covid: solving the mysteries

24 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Health Check discusses Long Covid with Nishi Chaturvedi, professor clinical epidemiology at University College London, and Dr Shamil Haroon, family do...

Sexual health, Covid-19 vaccines

19 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We’re looking at a health issue that disproportionately affects black women - Uterine fibroids. These are non-cancerous growths that develop in or a...

Covid surge in Mozambique

17 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Claudia talks to Dr Lucia Chambal at the Central Hospital of Maputo in Mozambique. She is helping to coordinate the response of the country’s larges...

Superbugs and superfoods

15 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Infections caused by germs which have become resistant to the medicines used to treat them pose a great threat to people’s health, as curable diseas...

Covid vaccines: bad news, good news

10 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The South African government has decided to pause its roll-out of the Astrazeneca-Oxford vaccine because of disappointing results of the vaccine’s e...

Vaccinating Africa against Covid-19

08 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

So far five African counties have begun vaccination campaigns, with vaccines gifted to them by wealthier countries. For many of the continent’s 1.2 ...

Covid-19 vaccines prevent 100% of deaths

03 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Claudia Hammond discusses the latest influx of excellent Covid-19 vaccine results with Sarah Boseley, health editor of The Guardian. Dr Samara Linton...

Brazilian city’s Covid crisis: ‘It’s like Hell’

27 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Brazilian city of Manaus remains in a state of crisis as its second surge of Covid-19 cases continues to overwhelm its hospitals and kill hundreds...

First days of India’s Covid vaccination programme

20 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

After the first few days of India’s Covid mass vaccination programme rollout, Claudia talks to medical ethicist and health policy expert Anant Bhan ...

WHO warns against vaccine rollout unfairness

13 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

BBC global health correspondent Naomi Grimley joins Claudia Hammond for a round-up of the latest developments in Covid vaccines and their rollouts –...

The first year of the pandemic

06 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Claudia Hammond talks to Guardian health editor Sarah Boseley exactly one year after she and Claudia first talked on Health Check about a mysterious r...

How children think about maths and time

30 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Claudia Hammond explores how children think with two psychologists; Dr Victoria Simms from Ulster University who researches how children’s understan...

Ambiguous loss: a different kind of grief

23 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Have you lost a loved one who is still a part of your life in some way? Did it leave you feeling confused or frozen about how to continue with life? C...

In Iran, one in five infected by coronavirus

16 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Iran was one of the first countries to be hit hard by the coronavirus. In the first population wide survey of infection rates in a Middle Eastern coun...

Gene therapy for sickle cell disease

09 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Are genetic therapies for sickle cell disease beginning to come of age? Claudia Hammond talks to David Williams and Erica Esrick of Boston Children’...

Milestone in HIV prevention for women

02 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In the week of World AIDS Day, Health Check looks at what's being described as a milestone in the prevention of HIV infection in women. It is a form o...

Another week, another Covid-19 vaccine success

25 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Oxford University and Astrazeneca announced interim results from the phase 3 trial of their coronavirus vaccine. The results are promising with effica...

Measles outbreak threat due to Covid

18 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Global measles deaths were already at a 23 year high in 2019 after several years of inadequate immunisation levels in a number of countries around the...

Covid vaccine ‘90% effective’

11 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Health Check examines the excitement around the preliminary announcement of 90% effectiveness of BioNTech and Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine in its phase...

Covid-19 vaccines: Unknowns and dilemmas

04 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Some of the first large scale trials of Covid-19 vaccines may report results to regulators in the next few weeks. These first results will reveal how ...

Covid-19 plasma therapy trial results ‘disappointing’

28 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

For months now, many people hospitalised with Covid-19 have been given convalescent plasma – donated blood serum from people who’ve already had th...

Coronavirus update

25 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As South Africa goes into lockdown what measures are they taking? Plus big data in Taiwan and a round-up of drug trials, antibody testing and low cost...

Autism: the problems of fitting in

31 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Many people with autistic spectrum disorder learn techniques to overcome their difficulties interacting with others. The first study that has looked ...

Lighting the brain after birth

03 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Claudia Hammond visits the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition.Every year a minority of births goes wrong and the baby is deprived of oxygen, whic...