Tests of experimental Ebola vaccine promising, NIH says

Tests of an experimental Ebola vaccine have shown positive results, protecting healthy monkeys from the virus, the National Institutes of Health announced Sunday, as West Africa grapples with an epidemic that has killed about 2,000 people.

Researchers gave four macaque monkeys a shot of the experimental vaccine, called ChAd3, and exposed them to high levels of the Ebola virus five weeks later. All the monkeys were protected, the NIH National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said.

The protection decreased over time, however: Ten months after receiving the vaccine, just two of the four were protected.

Researchers also tried giving monkeys the experimental vaccine and then, eight weeks later, a booster vaccine. Ten months after the initial dose, all four monkeys were fully protected, the institute said.

The authors of the latest study, published Sunday in the journal Nature Medicine, suggested that without the booster, the Ebola virus can quickly regain a foothold and attack the immune system.

Also Sunday, the Nebraska doctors treating the man who became infected with Ebola while working in Liberia said that he is making progress, but it’s not yet clear if he will recover.

Dr. Rick Sacra, 51, arrived at the Nebraska Medical Center on Friday for treatment in the hospital’s specialized isolation unit. Sacra remains very tired and stable, but was more alert Sunday, said Dr. Phil Smith, one of the doctors treating him who gave an update Sunday.

SRINAGAR, India

Landslides, floods from monsoon kill nearly 300

Landslides and flash floods triggered by heavy monsoon rains have killed nearly 300 people in large swaths of northern India and Pakistan, officials said Sunday.

Five days of incessant rains in Indian-controlled Kashmir have left at least 120 people dead in the region’s worst flooding in more than five decades, submerging hundreds of villages and triggering landslides, officials said. In neighboring Pakistan, more than 160 people have died and thousands of homes have collapsed, with an official saying the situation was becoming a “national emergency.”

LOS ANGELES

Death of singer Battle, 25, ruled suicide by hanging

The death of girl group singer Simone Battle was ruled a suicide by hanging, authorities said Sunday.

The cause of death was determined two days after the 25-year-old Battle was found dead in her West Hollywood home, Los Angeles County Coroner’s Lt. Fred Corral said.

Battle became known through her performances on the television show “X Factor.” Her five-member band, G.R.L., had been signed by hit maker Dr. Luke.

– From news service reports