Inside Health

Little over a week on from the first meningitis cases in Canterbury, many crucial questions remain.
So this week we're taking an in-depth look at those questions and what we’ve learnt from this outbreak - and could it happen again?
James also hears from author Michael Rosen whose son Eddie died from meningitis aged 18 about just how quickly the disease struck and how he deals with his grief.
And would you trust health advice from an AI chatbot?
We hear from someone who regularly turns to ChatGPT and from GP Dr Margaret McCartney about her concerns.
Presenter: James Gallagher
Producer: Gerry Holt
Content editor: Ilan Goodman
Production coordinator: Stuart Laws
Studio engineer: Donald MacDonald
Inside Health was made by the BBC’s Audio Science Unit in collaboration with The Open University.

More than 30,000 people are being contacted in the Canterbury area regarding the outbreak of bacterial meningitis in Kent. Two people have died, and others are seriously ill. James Gallagher speaks with immunologist Sir Andrew Pollard about the disease, and finds out what could have caused the outbreak.
That’s the major headline from the UK. But more broadly, for the last few weeks the news has been dominated by the situation in the Middle East. James speaks with Dr Antoine Abou Fayad, a microbiologist and medicinal chemist based in Beirut, Lebanon. He reveals that war, just like the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, provides the perfect storm to accelerate the spread of multidrug-resistant infections. And nobody is safe.

And finally, James finds out about an ongoing trial at the University of Exeter, where interactive computer games are being used by stroke patients to improve their recovery. And, of course, James has a go himself!
Presenter: James Gallagher
Producer: Alice Lipscombe-Southwell
Researcher: Tom Hunt
Editor: Ilan Goodman

There have been nearly 200 cases of measles in the UK so far this year.
Measles can be prevented with vaccines - but the proportion of children being immunised is declining across the UK, particularly in parts of London.
James visits Hackney, which has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country, to find out why and to see what is happening to tackle this issue.
And have you tried an adaptogenic drink? They claim to relax the mind, without giving you a boozy hangover.
James samples some in the lab and then gets behind the wheel of a simulator to see what it does to his driving skills…
Presenter: James Gallagher
Producer: Gerry Holt
Researcher: Thomas Hunt
Editor: Ilan Goodman
Production coordinator: Stuart Laws
Sound engineer: Giles Aspen
Inside Health was made by the BBC’s Audio Science Unit in collaboration with The Open University.

Penis fillers were an unexpected talking point at the recent Winter Olympics after claims that male ski jumpers were having them to improve performance.
So this week we’re digging into the UK’s penis filler industry.
James visits a private clinic in Manchester to hear about about the procedure, which involves hyaluronic acid being injected to temporarily increase penis girth. 
He meets Jason, who had his first penis filler five months’ ago, and he explains why he wanted it and how he weighed up the risks versus the benefits.
James also chats to an NHS surgeon who says increasing numbers of men are seeking out the procedure - and he is dealing with the consequences when it goes wrong.
Also this week, why is aspirin in short supply?
Presenter: James Gallagher
Producer: Gerry Holt
Editor: Ilan Goodman
Production coordinator: Stuart Laws
Sound engineer: Emma Harth
The show was made by the BBC’s Audio Science Unit in collaboration with The Open University.

ME – also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – has long been one of medicine’s most perplexing conditions. With no definitive diagnostic test and a legacy of scepticism in parts of the medical community, patients have often struggled to be believed. But a surge of new research may finally be shifting the landscape.

The emergence of Long COVID – a condition with striking similarities to ME – has accelerated scientific interest and opened new lines of inquiry into the underlying biology of both illnesses.
In this episode, James Gallagher speaks to Dr Chris Ponting about the latest DecodeME results, which point to a strong genetic component to ME. And Professor Rosemary Boyton outlines the ambition behind the new Rosetta Stone study, designed to build a detailed evidence base of shared biomarkers across ME and Long COVID.

James also hears from Catherine and Jo, who have lived with ME for many years. They describe their diagnostic journeys and how they manage their symptoms in their daily lives.
Presenter: James Gallagher
Producer: Alice Lipscombe-Southwell
Researcher: Tom Hunt
Editors: Erika Wright and Ilan Goodman