Main content

New human cases of bird flu

The latest on bird flu infections in the US; Women reporting becoming pregnant after using weight loss drugs; The science and health effects of our social connections

A third human case of bird flu has been reported in the US in a farmworker in Michigan who experienced respiratory symptoms. It follows a recent rapid spread of the virus among dairy cows across the country.

Claudia Hammond is joined by public health consultant Dr Ike Anya to discuss the latest developments, as half of the nation’s stockpile of the H5N1 vaccine is made ready to deploy.

We also hear from the women who’ve posted on social media that they’ve become pregnant after using GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic for weight loss. Claudia speaks to Dr Charlotte Moffat from the University of Ulster about whether the drugs could be interfering with birth control and boosting fertility.

We also hear from author David Robson about his new book ‘The Laws of Connection’, which explores the science and health effects of our social connections, and discuss what social strategies we can all take to improve how we socialise.

And Claudia and Ike take a look at a competition in South Korea trying to raise awareness of stress where the person with the lowest resting heart rate wins.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producer: Dan Welsh
Editor: Holly Squire

Available now

26 minutes

Last on

Sun 9 Jun 2024 01:32GMT

Broadcasts

  • Wed 5 Jun 2024 19:32GMT
  • Thu 6 Jun 2024 04:32GMT
  • Thu 6 Jun 2024 12:32GMT
  • Sun 9 Jun 2024 01:32GMT

Podcast