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Health & Fitness

Health Check

by BBC World Service
Health & Fitness

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Latest episodes

  • First human case of Shamonda virus

    October 28, 2026 · 26 min

    The first human case of Shamonda virus has killed a man in his 60s in France. Claudia Hammond is joined by professor of epidemiology and global health at Boston University, Matthew Fox, to discuss how this cattle virus made its way into a…

  • Solving the mystery of allergies

    October 21, 2026 · 26 min

    In this week's Health Check, Claudia Hammond looks at a new study in mice that examines two longstanding questions about allergies: why do they often emerge only after repeated exposure to the allergen and why do people with one allergy…

  • What happens in the ovaries postmenopause?

    October 14, 2026 · 26 min

    Perhaps contrary to popular belief, it is not all over for ovaries once a woman is post-menopausal. In a study published in Aging Cell, researchers studying the ovaries from 28 women found that even though their reproductive function…

  • Should we be worried about the plague?

    October 7, 2026 · 26 min

    This week, Claudia is joined in the studio by Clare Wilson, Science writer at The i Paper. After a 28-young woman who was studying infectious diseases in a lab in Siberia has died from pneumonia, Health Check takes an in-depth look at the…

  • Do men and women receive different medical treatment?

    September 30, 2026 · 26 min

    Men and women are frequently treated differently by healthcare systems according to a review of global research published in the journal, PLOS One. Women with the same medical conditions as men are less likely to be offered the medical…

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  • Could AI improve healthcare in low-income communities?

    September 23, 2026 · 27 min

    Health Check discusses the role of AI in healthcare after the announcement that the Gates Foundation will put hundreds of millions of US dollars towards AI access in low-income communities, with an emphasis on integration in healthcare…

  • Expanding reproductive choice in women's sports

    September 16, 2026 · 26 min

    The Spanish Football Association has announced a new programme that will make fertility treatments such as IVF and egg freezing available to female players and referees, but what difference will it make and how does this move compare to…

  • Addressing the risks of period pain in childhood

    September 9, 2026 · 26 min

    There is still a lot unknown about why period pain can be so intense for some and not others. To find out more, Claudia Hammond speaks with Dr Melissa Lenert, research scientist at the University of Michigan in the Chronic Pain and Fatigue…

  • Vaccinating against skin cancer

    September 2, 2026 · 28 min

    Usually when we think about vaccines, we imagine preventing viruses, but could mRNA vaccine technology also be used to reduce skin cancer recurrence? Claudia Hammond discusses the latest trials of this technology with Dr Matthew Fox…

  • Understanding OCD

    August 26, 2026 · 27 min

    Everyone experiences unwanted thoughts from time to time. But how does it feel to be trapped in a constant cycle of intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviours? This is the reality of life for many people with obsessive compulsive…

  • The health threat of rising temperatures

    August 19, 2026 · 26 min

    With recent heat waves in many regions of the world, including parts of Asia, Europe and North America, Claudia Hammond speaks to Eran Bendavid, Professor of Medicine and Health Policy at Stanford University, about his global study which…

  • The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

    August 12, 2026 · 26 min

    Three months since the Ebola outbreak was declared in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, more than 1,900 people have died from the virus, with more than 4200 confirmed cases, making this the second-worst Ebola outbreak ever. Claudia…

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About the show

Health issues and medical breakthroughs from around the world.