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Here on Health Check, we’re always sniffing out the best global health research for our listeners – and this week is no different. We’ll hear about a study in Sweden where researchers are testing whether smelling other people’s body odour could be a useful part of therapy for social anxiety.

And what is One Health? A new report from the World Health Organization suggests a joint plan of action is needed to tackle animal and human health threats – and even to avert future pandemics. We’ll talk to intensive care doctor Matt Morgan about what we can learn from giraffes to treat brain injury, what a koala’s eating habits can reveal about gut health and how when faced with disease we might have a lot in common with ants…

We’ll also have a report from Somalia where five consecutive failed rainy seasons have left five million people with acute food shortages and nearly two million children at risk of malnutrition. With a sixth season projected to fail, medics are warning of severe and long lasting health implications, particularly for children.

And we’ll be joined by global health expert Dr Matt Fox to discuss how certain types of gut bacteria in babies could predict the chance of developing type 1 diabetes in later life.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producer: Gerry Holt & Helena Selby