Signs of malaria found in 7,000-year-old human bones

New evidence suggests malaria has been plaguing humans much earlier than scientists previously believed. The deadly parasite, which kills more than a million people each year, is transmitted by mosquitoes. The theory is the introduction of irrigation and slash-and-burn agriculture created stagnant pools that were fertile breeding grounds for malaria-carry mosquitos. But genetic mutations in … Read more

Oxford team behind coronavirus jab take step towards cheap and effective vaccine for malaria

Oxford team behind coronavirus jab take big step towards producing cheap and effective vaccine for malaria at stage-three trials Jenner Institute said malaria vaccine will be tested on 4,800 children in Africa   Final human trials will be in countries like Kenya, Mali and Burkina Faso next year  Director Adrian Hill said he hope jab would … Read more

David Beckham is digitally aged to look 70 in new Malaria prevention campaign

David Beckham is digitally aged up to look 70-years-old as he calls for action to help prevent deaths caused by Malaria in new campaign By Roxy Simons For Mailonline Published: 00:22 GMT, 3 December 2020 | Updated: 00:53 GMT, 3 December 2020 David Beckham has been digitally aged to look 70-years-old in a new campaign … Read more

Climate change ‘could hamper efforts to wipe out malaria’ by changing where mosquito appear 

Efforts to eradicate malaria could be hampered by climate change — which could boost mosquito numbers and bring the disease to new areas, a study has found. Malaria is a climate-sensitive disease which thrives where it is wet and warm enough to provide the still surface waters needed to breed the mosquitoes that spread it. … Read more

Malaria breakthrough could help speed up discovery of Covid-19 treatments, scientists hope

Malaria breakthrough could help speed up discovery of Covid-19 treatments, scientists claim Drugs primarily target the disease-causing pathogen itself in treatment   But researchers found key enzymes in human red blood cells which are involved  It is hoped that targeting these proteins could help treat malaria  Researchers also believe the same pathway could be used to speed up … Read more

Britain spent £20m on anti-HIV and malaria drugs promoted by Donald Trump as cures for Covid-19

Britain spent £20m on anti-HIV and malaria drugs promoted by Donald Trump as cures for Covid-19 despite no solid evidence that they work The UK government spent nearly £20mn on drugs including hydroxychloroquine Contracts with Britis-based firms were entered into without tendering  Donald Trump has previously hailed hydroxychloroquine as a ‘game changer’  There is little … Read more

Scientists identify microbe that stops mosquitoes catching or spreading malaria

Scientists have discovered a bug which lives inside the guts of mosquitoes and protects them from getting malaria. Researchers said the microbe, which lives in around 5 per cent of mosquitoes on the shores of Lake Victoria in Kenya, could also stop the insects from transmitting the disease to humans. Malaria is spread through the … Read more

PICTURED: Man who died ingesting fish tank cleaner thinking it was malaria drug championed by Trump

The man who died ingesting fish tank cleaner thinking it was the drug championed by Donald Trump to beat COVID-19 has been remembered as a ‘level-headed’ engineer.  Gary Lenius and his wife Wanda, both in their 60s, took chloroquine phosphate, confusing it with hydroxychloroquine, last month. Gary died and Wanda was left in critical condition after drinking the … Read more

Doctors worldwide say malaria drug is the best coronavirus treatment

Doctors around the globe report that the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine seems the most effective treatment they’ve tried for coronavirus patients – but less than half as many doctors are prescribing it in the US as in other hard-hit countries like Spain.  A survey of 6,200 doctors around the globe reveals that while few corners of … Read more

SPECIAL REPORT: Forget Donald Trump’s foolish tweets – malaria pills aren’t the magic bullet

Desperate Britons are putting their lives at risk by taking anti-malaria tablets in a ‘misguided’ attempt to fight Covid-19, experts warned last night. They dismissed claims by French researchers that the decades-old drugs could ‘cure’ patients and called a controversial study published last month that appeared to show benefits ‘deeply flawed’ and ‘dangerous’. The pills, chloroquine … Read more