World Health Organization on "the epidemic" Tobacco use: government ban is insufficient



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The World Health Organization (WHO) report on the global tobacco epidemic announced Friday that many governments continued to make progress in tobacco control. Today, 5 billion people – twice as many as ten years ago – live in countries that have banned smoking, adopting image warnings on product packaging Tobacco and other effective measures to combat it have been adopted, but additional measures are needed to help people stop using lethal products.

The FAO report badyzes national efforts to implement the most effective measures of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which have demonstrated their ability to reduce tobacco demand by monitoring rates. prevention and prevention policies, protecting people from tobacco smoke, Help those who want to quit, warn people of their dangers, ban advertising, promotion and sponsorship of tobacco, raise taxes and strengthen cessation services.

Tidros Adhanom Gibressus, Director-General of WHO, said governments should ensure that they provide smoking cessation services as part of their efforts to ensure universal health coverage for their citizens.

"Quitting tobacco is one of the best things you can do for your health." The program's six-policy package provides governments with practical tools to help people get better. give up this habit, adding years to their age and a quality of life to their years. "

Smoking cessation services include free national access lines to access these services, "smoking cessation" services to reach more people via a mobile phone, advice from providers primary health care and nicotine replacement therapy. .

Michael R. "More and more countries are giving priority to tobacco control and saving lives, but there is still much work to be done," said Bloomberg, WHO Global Ambbadador on Noncommunicable Diseases and trauma and founder of the Bloomberg Charity Associations. On smoking and describes some of the biggest gains we've made. "

For its part, Vinayak Prasad, director of the WHO's Tobacco Control Unit, told reporters that electronic cigarettes and tobacco heaters did not make it possible to fight against cancer.

In a statement quoted by "Reuters," he said the development of new products was aimed solely at expanding the markets of tobacco companies. "There is no difference between cigarettes and tobacco heaters except in terms of exposure … less exposure and non-visible smoke," he said.

According to the same source, the industry was trying to make itself respected by manipulated messages, for example by claiming that its products were part of a "harm reduction" strategy, although cigarettes still represent 97% of the global tobacco market.

Electronic cigarettes, containing nicotine without tobacco, are encouraged as a way to stop smoking. But Prasad adds that there is no evidence to justify this claim, while evidence from the United States has shown that it has increased the prevalence of smoking among young people.

The report, funded by the Bloomberg Philanthropic Associations, found that while only 23 countries have policies to support smoking cessation at the highest level, another 116 provide services that partially or partially cover some or most health facilities. 32 other countries. Provide services but do not cover their costs, demonstrating high rates of public demand for support services in the area of ​​smoking cessation.

Tobacco consumption rates have also decreased proportionally in most countries, but the increase in the population means that the total number of consumers has remained high. Currently, there are an estimated 1.1 billion smokers worldwide, about 80 percent of whom live in middle-income countries.

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