NHS is offering shopping vouchers to children who quit smoking and pregnant women who give up smoking. Supporters of the scheme claim that there is no harm in offering small incentive to help children leave this bad habit whereas people opposite to this scheme said this scheme might encourage children to smoke for sake of rewards.

Fats in limited quantity are necessary for proper functioning of human body. High levels of saturated fat in the diet can increase risk of heart and circulatory diseases, such as coronary heart disease, heart attacks, angina and stroke.

Saturated fat is found in dairy and red meat. 30g saturated fat in a day is enough for the average man and 20g saturated fat a day is enough for the average woman. Children aged 5-10 should eat no more than 20g of saturated fat per day. Recent data showed that children aged five have higher level of fat.

Nearly a month after its first bird flu case was noticed in a southeastern border region, Nepal’s Agriculture Ministry announced, on Wednesday, that the country is free of bird flu.

On January 16, the health ministry declared that chickens near Kakadbhitta, 400 km south of the capital Katmandu, were found positive for the H5N1 virus, the first confirmed case in the country.

Medical services provider Fortis Healthcare notified on Tuesday that one of its main promoters Fortis Healthcare Holdings has pledged 20.75 per cent stake of the company for an undisclosed amount.

The health chain said, that its promoter (Fortis Healthcare Holdings) has pledged 4.70 crore shares representing 20.75 per cent stake in the company.

A new study has disclosed that Vitamin B and folic acid can lessen the chance and intensity of migraines by decreasing amino acid levels.

A research group at Griffith University in Australia based their findings on a six-month study conducted on 50 participants with chronic migraine.

The result of the study showed that folacin and vitamin B could help significantly reduce the occurrence as well as severity of the migraine symptoms.

Washington  - A vaginal gel which can kill the HIV virus during sexual intercourse was hailed Monday for showing it was somewhat effective in preventing infection and for holding promise as another weapon in the arsenal against the deadly disease.

The gel, PRO2000 produced by Indevus Pharmaceuticals, was 30 per cent effective in reducing the incidence of AIDS during four years of trials in Africa and the United States, according to research revealed at an AIDS conference in Montreal, Canada.