THE GLOBAL TOBACCO CRISIS 2008
2008: Tobacco kills one
person every six seconds. It kills a third to half of all its
users, more than half its long-term users. 5.4 million deaths a
year - and rising worldwide. It may kill a billion people this century -
and wreck the health of many more. Check the scale and nature of the
global crisis. See WHO
report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic 2008
See full
report and other WHO tobacco publications
The World Health Organisation has
launched the first comprehensive analysis of global tobacco use and
control. The report confirms that the global tobacco epidemic is one of
the greatest public health threats of modern times - though it is
entirely preventable. The means to curb the epidemic are clear and
within reach.
While the report deals with all states, there are detailed profiles of
the following Asian countries: Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia,
Japan, Pakistan, Philippines, Rep Korea, Thailand and
Vietnam.
Key points
of the report:
Status of
tobacco use and control
-
Only
5% of population covered by comprehensive smoke-free laws
-
About
95% of tobacco users don’t get help to quit
-
Only
five countries have comprehensive pack warnings
-
Just
4% of population protected by complete bans on tobacco advertising,
marketing and promotion
-
Only
four countries have tax rates greater than 75% of retail price
-
Tobacco
control funding much less than HIV/AIDS, kills far more
Key messages
-
Virtually
every country needs to do more
-
Epidemic
is shifting toward the developing world
-
Countries
are not alone in combating the tobacco industry
-
Call
to action by Director-General to governments and civil society
-
The
tobacco epidemic is entirely preventable
-
The
solution is in our hands
Political considerations
-
Tobacco
epidemic: A disease with a multi-billion-dollar lobby
-
Weakened
legislation won’t save lives
-
Tobacco
hurts – not helps – national economies
-
Smoking
in public places is not a right… breathing
is !
Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
(FCTC)
A World Health Organisation initiative to curtail the global tobacco
epidemic. The convention, ratified by over 150 countries, represents an
historic opportunity for global action. Australia ratified the treaty in
October 2004 and it took effect worldwide from 27/2/05.
12th
World Tobacco Conference
Priorities and resolutions of the
August 2003 World Conference on Tobacco or Health in Helsinki, Finland.
World
Cancer Report
2002 global review of research, by the WHO's International Agency
for Cancer Research. The report by an international expert panel found
new types of cancer dangers and concluded that passive smoking causes
cancer in non-smokers.
Framework
Convention Alliance
ASH is a member of this alliance of non-governmental organisations
from around the world who worked jointly and separately to support
the development of a strong Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, and
will continue to push for effective related protocols.
Curbing
the Epidemic: Governments and the Economics of Tobacco Control
The result of a partnership between WHO and the World Bank, this
report covers key issues that most societies and policymakers face when
they think about tobacco or its control.
Women and
smoking
Women are targets for tobacco companies and tobacco use has a
devastating impact on the lives of women world-wide. The international
network of women against tobacco is a program of the American Cancer
Society.
The Death Toll from Tobacco
There are between 1.1 -1.4 billion
smokers in the world out of a total population of around 5.8 billion. It has been estimated that 50% of smokers
will die prematurely from tobacco related illness, half in middle age
(defined as 35 - 69 years of age) with an average loss of life
expectancy of 20 - 25 years (8 years over all ages). More details
Page last updated on 24/7/08
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