Sniffer dogs could detect malaria in people

Freya, a Springer Spaniel, is one of the dogs who has been trained to sniff out the scent of malaria. Freya's highly sensitive nose could help provide the first non-invasive test for the disease. Sniffer dogs could potentially be deployed at ports of entry to identify passengers carrying malaria to prevent the spread of the disease across borders and to ensure people receive timely antimalarial treatment. Deadly disease New research has found that dogs, like Freya, could be trained to sniff out malaria in people and help to prevent the spread of the deadly disease. Researchers found that dogs could scent malaria in samples of socks worn by infected children. They say their findings could potentially lead to the first rapid and non-invasive test for malaria. Although the research is in its early stages, the scientists hope trained sniffer dogs could help to stop malaria spreading between countries and lead to infected people being spotted earlier and treated quickly.