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In this episode of The Evidence on the Â鶹ԼÅÄ World Service, Claudia Hammond will be looking at allergies, which are becoming increasingly common in high income countries, and in towns and cities. Not only can they make life difficult and miserable, but some allergies can be dangerous and even life-threatening for some.

Recorded with a live audience and made in collaboration with Wellcome Collection in London, Claudia Hammond and a panel of medical experts examine different types of allergies - from asthma to newly discovered allergies such as alpha-gal syndrome – and unpick the widely accepted view that allergies are still on the rise globally.

Claudia will be asking what allergies are and what is the purpose of them? What can we do to try and prevent them? And what are the best ways of accurately and safely diagnosing them? The Evidence will also be looking at the latest cutting-edge research, which suggests that some possible cures are on the horizon.

On stage with Claudia are Dr Paul Turner, Consultant Paediatric allergist at St. Mary’s Hospital in London; Carsten Flohr, who is Professor of Dermatology at St. John’s Institute of Dermatology at King’s College London; Professor Sejal Saglani, Director of the Centre for Paediatrics & Child Health at Imperial College, London and Professor Alexandra Santos, Professor of Paediatric Allergy at King’s College London.

Producer: Helena Selby
Sound engineers: Alan Zani and Chris Banner
Production Co-ordinators: Siobhan Maguire & Liz Tuohy

Photo credit: Viktor Cvetkovic