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‘Promising’ malaria vaccine, Sars-like virus could be from camels and a warning for mothers-to-be

A malaria vaccine has shown promising results in early stage clinical trials, the BBC reports.

US researchers found the vaccine, which involves injecting live, but weakened, malaria-causing parasites directly into patients to trigger immunity, protected 12 out of 15 patients from the disease, when it was given in high doses.

Lead author Dr Robert Seder from the Vaccine Research Center at the National Institutes of Health, in Maryland said: ‘We were excited and thrilled by the result, but it is important that we repeat it, extend it and do it in larger numbers.’

The Guardian reports that the Sars-like Middle East respiratory system coronavirus (MERS CoV) could have come from camels, prompting further investigation into camel meat. Until now it has not been known how humans become infected by the virus, which has infected 94 people who have lived in or had links to the Middle East and killed almost half of them.

After taking blood samples from a range of domestic animals, researchers from the Netherlands found a group of 50 racing camels all had antibodies in their blood that suggested they had at one point been in contact with the virus.

Eating for two? The Daily Mail warns that mothers who ‘binge’ on sugary and fatty foods in pregnancy could put their children at greater risk of drug addiction.

Scientists discovered the offspring of rodents that consumed too much fat and sugar grew up to be heavier and to consume more alcohol. Those that ate diets high in sugar were more likely to have pups that responded strongly to addictive drugs like amphetamines.