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Episode details

World Service,21 Jan 2026,26 mins

Could the shingles vaccine really slow down the ageing process?

Health Check

Available for over a year

Joined by BBC Brazil reporter Camilla Mota, presenter Claudia Hammond discusses new research from the U.S. that has found that people who have had a vaccine against shingles seem to be aging more slowly. We hear from James Tibenderana, Chief Executive of Malaria Consortium about research from Brazil that shows that as deforestation expands, mosquitoes are increasingly using humans as a blood source instead of wildlife. What does this mean for the spread of mosquito-borne diseases? Plus, why does Brazil have a particularly high number of supercentenarians? And could swearing make you stronger? Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Hannah Robins Assistant Producers: Jonathan Blackwell and Anna Charalambou

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