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More children are obese than underweight
Health Check
Sep 17, 2025

In a ‘historical turning point’ there are now more overweight than underweight children and teenagers worldwide according to a new report from UNICEF. Claudia Hammond is joined by BBC’s Laura Foster to understand what changes to our food environments may be driving this shift.

An international row has erupted over durian fruit, with China limiting imports of Vietnamese fruits due to health concerns. Journalist Sen Nguyen explores the potential health impacts of the durians and whether new regulations will put China’s concerns to rest.

Also on the show, how the latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is progressing and the rapid response from health services.

Claudia is joined by Paula Prist from the International Union for Conservation of Nature to share her latest findings that Indigenous Amazon Territories may safeguard human health against certain fire-related and zoonotic diseases.

Plus, the latest AI tool in healthcare, Delphi-2M, has been announced. Likened to a weather forecast but for health, how might this tool help us predict the occurrence of over 1000 diseases in the future?

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Hannah Robins Assistant Producer: Katie Tomsett

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Making surgery safer for infants

We learn about a new injectable microgel to help reduce bleeding in infants who require surgical care. In a mice model, it reduced bleeding by at least 50%. Ashley Brown, Professor of Biomedical Engineering at North Carolina State University and UNC Chapel Hill tells presenter Claudia Hammond more about this new material her team has designed.

Joined by Professor of Global Health and Epidemiology at Boston University in the US, Dr Matthew Fox, Claudia hears about a mystery illness that is being investigated by health officials in Burundi, which has caused five deaths and sickened thirty-five people. So far lab analysis of the illness - which causes fever, vomiting, and diarrhoea - has been negative for Ebola and Marburg viruses, Rift Valley fever, and others.

We hear about influential analysis from Cochrane which has concluded that "breakthrough" Alzheimer's drugs are unlikely to benefit patients. Researchers said the impact was "well below" what was needed to make a difference to dementia patients' lives. However, their report has also provoked a vicious backlash from equally esteemed scientists who label it as fundamentally flawed.

We’re joined by health journalist Katie Silver in Mexico, who brings us the news that the President, Claudia Sheinbaum, has announced the details of a plan to introduce universal healthcare – no mean feat in country of 130 million people.

And we hear about an experiment that was done by academics to see if they could trick AI chatbots into believing in an entirely fake disease.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Jonathan Blackwell


26min 28sec

More children are obese than underweight

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