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Health Check: The 'Hidden' Virus That Attacks the Liver

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Hepatitis C Virus Attack illustration

2017/11/01 GMT

The 'Hidden' Virus That Attacks the Liver

BBC World Service - Health Check, The 'Hidden' Virus That Attacks the Liver

The 'hidden' virus that attacks the liver

The 'hidden' virus that attacks the liver; Can boxing training help Parkinson’s disease patients?; Maps not satnavs help us to remember journeys better

Four out five patients with Hepatitis C do not know they are infected – and the virus can cause cancer or cirrhosis of the liver, leading to 1.3 million deaths every year. The World Health Organisation wants to eliminate hepatitis by 2030 – but only a handful of countries like Egypt and Australia are on track. The World Hepatitis Summit has been taking place in Sao Paulo, Brazil, to explore the best ways to detect and treat those infected. 

Could boxing training help people with Parkinson’s disease? The neurological condition gets worse over time, leading to tremors in the arms and legs and even difficulty talking. Treatments do work – but can also cause distressing involuntary body movements known as dyskinesia. A Canadian doctor researching the impact of boxing exercise on patients says initial results are promising. 

Do you prefer a map or a sat-nav to help guide you on a journey? A British psychologist asked students to navigate across the city of Liverpool – and then asked them to pinpoint where they had seen landmarks along the way. Those using paper maps had a more accurate recall of those landmarks – indicating that viewing the whole route on a paper map could help to reinforce memories. 

(Photo: Computer generated illustration of Hepatitis C virus attack. Credit: Science Photo Library)

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