Ebola, Healthcheck, Saturday 8AM

Ebola: Claudia Hammond speaks with BBC Health Reporter Smitha Mundasad to hear the latest news about the Ebola virus.

Eating Bushmeat: Bats are seen as a local delicacy in many countries in Africa, but they are thought to be carriers of the Ebola virus, as well as other diseases. Now researchers have surveyed nearly 600 people in Ghana a country currently unaffected by Ebola – about the perceived risks of hunting and eating bushmeat. They also carried out in-depth interviews to understand how much people know about the health risks associated with bushmeat. Claudia speaks with Oliver Restif from the University of Cambridge about the perceived risks of hunting and eating bushmeat.

Chagas Disease: The parasite which causes chagas diseases damages the heart, digestive system and nervous system and, if left untreated, can be fatal. The insect which spreads the parasite thrives in countries like Bolivia. But this silent killer, once confined to Latin America, has now become global. In Spain, up to 80,000 migrants from Latin America are now living with the illness and no one can predict who will develop serious health complications. This is mainly due to a lack of information, as Gabriela Torres reports from the capital, Madrid.

Mental Health in Schools: Schools are a vital way of reaching the 10 – 20% of children and young people across the globe who would benefit from some sort of mental health intervention, according to a publication in The Lancet Psychiatry. Mina Fazel, from the University of Oxford, explains that routine mental health screening in schools would be an important first step.

Presented by Claudia Hammond and available on 91.5 FM Saturday and Sunday at 8:00 am