Bangkok - In an effort to prevent swine flu from spreading to the Thai population, Bangkok authorities on Thursday announced plans to hand out 100,000 free face masks to taxi drivers and foreign tourists in the capital.

Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra will start handing out the face masks to the city's 70,000-strong taxi fleet and to foreign tourists staying at guesthouses, The Nation online news service reported.

"Taxi drivers should wear face masks while driving their passengers," Bangkok's deputy governor Malinee Sukavejworakit said.

Washington, Apr 30 : In a major breakthrough, scientists have found a preventative therapy for Type 1 diabetes— by making the body''s killer immune cells tolerate the insulin-producing cells they would normally attack and destroy, prior to disease onset.

Type 1 diabetes is a serious autoimmune condition, in which the body attacks its own insulin producing cells and is characterised by a sudden and dramatic onset, usually in youth.

Washington, Apr 30 : Reaching optimal levels for cholesterol and high blood pressure in stroke patients could help prevent chances of a second stroke or heart attack, says a new study.

The study is to be presented as part of the Late-breaking Science Program at the American Academy of Neurology''s 61st Annual Meeting in Seattle, April 25 – May 2,
2009.

Imphal, Apr 30 : As the cases related to swine flu are on rise in Mexico and other countries, authorities here are taking preventive steps on the border with Myanmar.

Manipur''s Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Department has barred import of live pigs and pork meat through the India-Myanmar border.

"As far as the husbandry services of the state is concerned, we are under alert and at the same time we have taken certain steps to prevent the transit of animals mainly through international border, that is bordering Myanmar in some of the districts," Thoiba Jiban Singh, director, Veterinary and Animal Husbandry.

Washington, Apr 30 : A new pill may soon replace the painful injections for multiple sclerosis treatment, say researchers.

The research team led by Professor Gavin Giovannoni of Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry has shown that cladribine tablets just a few times a year can reduce the chances of a relapse by well over 50 per cent.

Cladribine tablets work by suppressing the immune system, reducing the risk of further damage to a patient''s nervous system.

In the new study, the researchers followed over 1,300 MS patients for nearly two years.

Washington, Apr 30 : Repeatedly going to work when ill significantly raises the chances of long-term sick leave later in life, according to a new study.

The trend, called "sickness presence", is becoming increasingly common as staff fear for their jobs during the recession.

In order to study the long-term impact of the behaviour, researchers randomly selected almost 12,000 Danes of working age, who had been in continuous employment for at least a year.