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鈥淪ickle cell is not all that we are 鈥� Sickle Cell is solvable.鈥� Lea Kilenga Bey from Kenya founded the non-profit Africa Sickle Cell Organisation to campaign on behalf of people like her who live with an inherited blood condition known as sickle cell disease. Now a group of experts from around the world are calling on Governments to provide better care for people with conditions like Lea鈥檚. It comes just weeks after a study published in academic journal The Lancet Haematology showed that the number of people around the world who die with sickle cell disease could be as much as 11 times higher than previously estimated. Claudia Hammond speaks to Lea and hears from Professor Jennifer Knight-Madden in Jamaica where pioneering research has led to a newborn screening programme that helps to diagnose and treat Sickle Cell Disease in babies.

Side by Side is a pilot initiative led by the Alzheimer鈥檚 Society in the UK, pairing up volunteers with people living with dementia based on their common interests. It鈥檚 how David met Simon, who learnt he had Alzheimer鈥檚 disease during the Covid 19 lockdown. We hear from David, Simon, and Simon鈥檚 wife Ruth about the pair鈥檚 weekly walks and how they have helped Simon come to terms with his diagnosis.

And Claudia is joined by Consultant in public health Dr Ike Anya. They discuss new research on living with dementia including a study that suggests resistance training might delay the onset of symptoms in people with Alzheimer鈥檚. There鈥檚 an early breakthrough in finding a treatment for parasitic born African Trypanosomiasis or Sleeping Sickness. And the researchers combining health education with street theatre in Malawi. How an interactive performance involving 鈥渋nfectious鈥� beach balls transmitted by a giant Tsetse fly is teaching people about catching Sleeping Sickness.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producer: Clare Salisbury

Image credit: Kateryna Kon/Science Photo Library