Health Check

There’s encouraging news about a potential treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease following years of disappointing drug trials. The drug lecanemab is a monoclonal antibody which is designed to remove clumps of amyloid proteins which damage the brain. Professor Bart de Strooper who’s director of the UK Dementia Research Institute explains how patients who had regular infusions of the drug had their rate of cognitive decline reduced by 27% when compared to those given a placebo. Sewage testing has been used around the world during the Covid pandemic – and at the moment children in London are being vaccinated against polio after the virus was found in waste water. The BBC’s Health and Science Correspondent James Gallagher takes us on a tour of a sewer in southern England. Claudia Hammond’s guest this week Professor Graham Easton from Queen Mary University of London looks at whether folic acid could reduce suicide and self harm – and whether it’s ok to take anti-depressants during pregnancy. Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Paula McGrath(Picture: Pharmaceutical research into brain disorders. Photo credit: Westend61/Getty Images.)

Waterborne diseases are on the rise in Sindh province in Pakistan where water levels are still high after record floods. BBC Urdu’s Riaz Sohail visited the region and tells us about the conditions in roadside camps and a hospital in Dadu district.A recently published Motor Neuron Disease trial suggests that a new drug could make a fundamental difference for some people living with the disease. And how does healthcare work if a doctor can only be reached by boat, helicopter or plane? BBC’s Marnie Chesterton went to Greenland and spoke to a healthcare worker in the small village of Narsarsuaq.Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Florian Bohr(Picture: Flood-affected people on the road in Dadu city, Pakistan. Photo credit: Jan Ali Laghari/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images.)

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 Producer: Paula McGrath(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 Producer: Paula McGrath(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. Plus Claudia hears about the health consequences of a ban on abortion in some US states for young women who develop a breast cancer diagnosis during pregnancy. Professor Virginia Borges and Assistant Professor Nicole Christian from the University of Colorado explain the difficult decisions women are having to make. And resolution of the mystery pneumonia identified in Argentina.Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Erika Wright(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 Producer: Paula McGrath(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. The UK researchers who saved many thousands of lives with Covid treatments are now testing antivirals against monkeypox. 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 Producer: Erika Wright(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 Producer: Paula McGrath(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 Producer: Paula McGrath(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 Producer: Erika Wright