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Episode details

World Service,31 Jan 2018,26 mins

Drug-resistant Typhoid Outbreak in Pakistan

Health Check

Available for over a year

An outbreak of drug-resistant typhoid in Pakistan has prompted an emergency vaccination campaign. The bacteria – spread by infected food and water – is becoming harder to treat because of antibiotic resistance. There is a brand new vaccine against typhoid which can be used to protect children as young as 6 months old. On New Year’s Day California became the sixth state in the United States to legalise marijuana for recreational purposes. With an estimated potential market of $7 billion, it’s big business. The drug is being sold in brownies and gummy bears – not just in tobacco and oils. We sent reporter Alison van Diggelen along to a “high tea” – and to ask an addiction expert about the potential risks of taking the drug. He says people with pre-existing conditions like depression and schizophrenia should not take the drug. Which side do you hug on? German scientists watched thousands of people embracing at airports - in both arrivals and departures - to see if emotion influences the way we hug. Most people hug to the right – with their right arm on the recipient’s shoulder, and their head to the left. But when people were feeling emotional, some shifted to the opposite side. (Photo: Paksitani children at risk of typhoid. Credit: Getty Images)

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