Original version

BBC World Service West and Central Africa Schedule

BBC World Service West and Central Africa

Science in Action

Science In Action

Factual: Science & Nature

Factual: Science & Nature: Science & Technology

The BBC brings you all the week's science news.

BBC World Service Australasia

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa Schedule

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa

BBC World Service Online

BBC World Service schedule for American satellite radio and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

BBC World Service

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

BBC World Service East Asia

BBC World Service South Asia

BBC World Service News Internet

Science In Action: Italy, getting Covid-19 under control

Magazines & Reviews

italy-shopping-CROP.jpg

16/04/2020 GMT

Italy, getting Covid-19 under control

BBC World Service - Science In Action, Italy, getting Covid-19 under control

Italy is beginning its first tentative steps towards ending its lockdown. These are small steps, opening a few shops in areas where virus transmission has seen big falls. Part of the reason for this controlled strategy is that there are real concerns over a potential resurgence of the virus, 

Around the world there are now hundreds of trials on drug treatments for Covid-19. Results so far are mixed, with antivirals developed for Ebola and HIV showing positive signs, but antimalarial drugs, championed by President Trump in particular have been shown to have dangerous potentially life threatening side effects.

A warning from history, more than 500 years ago suggests the western US in particular is entering an extreme drought, a ‘Megadrought’. When this last happened it led to war, depopulation and the spread of disease.

And its 10 years since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Studies of fish in the region suggest they are still affected by oil from that spill and more recent lesser known pollution events.

(Photo: Italy, shops begin to open. Credit: European Photopress Agency)

Presenter: Roland Pease
Producer: Julian Siddle

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Science In Action

Italy, getting Covid-19 under control

Genres

Formats

Brand

BBC World Service West and Central Africa

About BBC World Service