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)

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

‘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)