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 world safer from a future pandemic – but what could it mean in practice and how are countries held to account? Also on the show, how treating high blood pressure can reduce the risk of dementia. Researchers have suggested it takes more than just medication; lifestyle changes are also key to lowering the risk.
We learn how Oropouche is underdiagnosed across the Americas and the impact climate has on the spread of this insect-borne virus. Plus, a new weight loss pill has been found to reduce weight and blood sugar levels in its latest trial.
Has an anecdote you read online or heard from a friend ever changed how you feel about the medical choices you make? We hear about the power of anecdotes, especially negative ones, when making a decision for your own health. Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producers: Katie Tomsett & Hannah Robins
Studio Manager: Emma Harth
Production Co-ordinator: Josie Hardy(Image:Co-chair of the negotiations and French ambassador for Global Health Anne-Claire Amprou (L) and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus after a consensus on the Pandemic Agreement at the WHO headquarters. Credit: CHRISTOPHER BLACK/World Health Organization/AFP via Getty Images)
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Have we found an animal reservoir of mpox?
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 case, pinpointing the fire-footed rope squirrel as the culprit, but questions remain before we can definitively say this species is to blame. Reporter Chhavi Sachdev in Mumbai has some good news – an indigenous antibiotic breakthrough has been found to be effective at treating antibiotic resistant pneumonia. We hear what it takes to develop a new antibiotic and what makes Nafithromycin such a ground-breaking discovery. Also on the show, the biological mechanism that drives apathy and lack of motivation in late-stage cancer patients and how nature-based interventions, such as agroforestry, have unintended health benefits.Plus, have you ever wondered why humans can’t regenerate our teeth? We hear how some scientists are growing teeth in a lab to transform dental regeneration in the future.Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producer: Katie Tomsett
Studio Managers: Searle Whittney and Jackie Margerum
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The Kidney Waiting Game
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 new organ? We follow BBC journalist Mike Powell on his journey to receive a life-changing kidney transplant and talk to his donor who made it all possible.With a growing global need for kidneys, we hear from others around the world that are on long transplant waiting lists and from Professor Elmi Muller who shares what we can do to reduce the wait time. Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producer: Katie Tomsett
Studio Managers: Jackie Margerum and Gwynfor Jones
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Zimbabwe government takes on ‘friendship benches’
‘Friendship benches’, a mental health intervention first piloted in Zimbabwe, are now being handed over to the government in that country. It is hoped that this will allow the program to become more widespread.Also on the show, a new device can convert brain signals to speach in nearly real time for those who have been paralysed, a medicine for rare genetic disorders could also make human blood deadly to mosquitos, and the US Food and Drug administration has approved a new first-in-class antibiotic for uncomplicated urinary tract infections.Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producer: Margaret Sessa-Hawkins and Katie Tomsett(Photo: Counsellor "Gogo" Shery Ziwakayi (R) sits on a bench in conversation with a client "Muzukuru" Choice Jiya (L) during a private session at the Friendship Bench in Harare, 4 November, 2022. Credit: Jekesai Njikizana/AFP)
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How do funding cuts feel?
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 Alzheimer’s disease in his forties or fifties. For fifteen years he’s been part of medical studies into his condition, but now, with the NIH announcing funding cuts, he’s worried the studies will stop. Also on the program, would you do CPR on another bystander? A new study finds that speed of response – not how trained you are – is what’s important. So how can we get more people doing this live-saving measure? And MRI imaging indicates that babies might actually be encoding memories. So why can’t we remember what it was like to be that young? Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producer: Margaret Sessa-Hawkins
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