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Do you really have a penicillin allergy?
Health Check
Jul 23, 2025

Penicillin is the go-to antibiotic for many common infections - but in the UK more than 1-in-15 adults have a penicillin allergy label on their medical record. New research suggests that many with these labels are not actually allergic. Professor Sue Pavitt explains how more accurate allergy labelling might help fight the rise of antimicrobial resistance.

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Sex at birth might not be as random as we once thought; a new study found that families with three children of the same sex are more likely to have another child of the same sex.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Hannah Robins Assistant Producer: Alice McKee Studio Managers: Dyfan Rose and Andrew Garrett

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26min 28sec

Do you really have a penicillin allergy?

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