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Episode details

Radio 4,03 Nov 2026,28 mins

How should you treat a fever?

What's Up Docs?

Available for over a year

Welcome to What's Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken explore the ideas shaping our health and wellbeing. In this episode, they examine fevers. They ask how and why our body sometimes turns up the dial on its internal thermostat, and what, if anything, we should do about it. To help them answer these questions, they are joined by Dr Catherine Houlihan, a consultant in clinical virology and infectious diseases at University College London Hospitals. She is also a consultant in infection at the Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory, UK Health Security Agency. If you want to get in touch, you can email us at whatsupdocs@bbc.co.uk Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken Guest: Dr Catherine Houlihan Producer and researcher: Dr Samara Linton Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar Visual Producer: Leon Gower Technical Lead: Reuben Huxtable Digital Lead: Richard Berry Composer: Phoebe McFarlane Sound Design: Melvin Rickarby At the BBC: Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4

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