Berlin/Marburg - A little prick of a needle provides a lot of protection. Vaccines have greatly reduced outbreaks of dangerous diseases worldwide, but experts warn that an increasing number of children today are inadequately immunized.

The Standing Commission on Vaccination (STIKO) at the Berlin-based Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the German federal institution responsible for disease control and prevention, recommends that children be inoculated against 12 diseases - including tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough) and polio during the first 24 months of their lives.

On February 15, 2000, the Federal Court of Justice, Germany's highest court in civil and criminal cases, ruled the 12 vaccinations to be the country's medical standard.

Stuttgart - Many joggers dream of running a marathon some day. Although a full marathon is 42 kilometres in length, that does not prevent even the most inexperienced athlete from at least considering taking part in one.

All budding marathon runners should train aplenty in spring as even experienced joggers will find a marathon challenging.

People over the age of 35 or anyone who smokes should let their GP check them out before beginning training, advises Professor Hans-Hermann Dickhut, director of the Sport Medicine Institute at the University of Freiburg.

Hamburg - The progress of Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammatory disease of the intestines, exacerbates dramatically in smokers, according to a professor at Goethe University in Frankfurt.

Smokers, who contract Crohn's disease, must undergo surgery and suffer the dangerous advanced stages of the disease more commonly than non-smokers, said Professor Axel Dignass at a recent congress of Europe's Crohn disease and colitis organization in Hamburg. In most people with Crohn's disease the last section of the small intestine is affected.

London, Feb 22 : Kids as young as two should be examined for signs of obesity in order to prevent future health struggles, say British Government advisers.

Health officials are asking experts to develop tests for children to determine if they are becoming fat.

Advisers say that it is often too late by primary school to start addressing bad habits, reports the Telegraph.

New York, February 22 : Here's some good news for tea-lovers: having three or more cups of the drink everyday can cut the risk of stroke, says a new study.

According to Lenore Arab, professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine, drinking the beverage can reduce the threat by as much as 21 per cent.

UCLA boffins observed that the result was obtained in tea made from the plant Camellia sinensis and not from herbs.

Washington, Feb 22 : As part of a major achievement in tumour research, scientists at Uppsala University have developed a new tool that can study signals in body that control the generation of blood vessels.

The findings of the study can help in learning which signals in the body attract or repel blood vessels that can further improve the knowledge in tumour research.