Do you really have a penicillin allergy? episode artwork

EPISODE · Jul 23, 2025 · 26 MIN

Do you really have a penicillin allergy?

from Health Check · host BBC World Service

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. Both Burundi and Senegal announced last week that they had eliminated trachoma. Dr Graham Easton walks us through the long road to this milestone.A passionate debate has caused division in Maharashtra, India, over the possibility of homeopaths being allowed to practice and prescribe conventional medicine. Reporter Chhavi Sachdev explains why doctors on both sides are striking. In the UK, eight babies made with the combined genetic material of three people have been born without the hereditary mitochondrial disease. We explore the implications of this breakthrough. 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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Do you really have a penicillin allergy?

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