In every six seconds one person dies from a tobacco related disease. This amounts to 5million deaths globally every year.
The alarming statistics are contained in a new report released March 15th by the UN World Health Organization (WHO), entitled “Mortality Attributable to Tobacco”.
Dr.Ala Alwan, the UN WHO Assistant Director-General in charge of Non-communicable Diseases and Mental Health says, “Unless strong actions are taken to halt the tobacco epidemic, one billion people are projected to die this century – we cannot let this happen. All countries should implement the Convention on tobacco control.”
The report shows that 5% of all deaths from communicable diseases worldwide and 14 % of deaths resulting from non-communicable illnesses among adults aged 30 and above were attributable to tobacco use.
Globally, each year Tobacco use is responsible for 5 million (12%) of all deaths of adults above the age of 30.
For the first time, a United Nations report provides estimated mortality rates attributable to tobacco for 2004, the year before the international treaty on tobacco came into force.
In 2005 the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) came into effect. It requires parties to restrict tobacco advertising, sponsorship and promotion. It also set new labeling and clean indoor air controls and strengthening laws against tobacco smuggling.
“Although many people associate tobacco with non-communicable diseases such as cancers, heart and respiratory diseases, tobacco is also a major cause of communicable diseases – tuberculosis being a case in point where the disease is at times in latent or dormant state until activated by tobacco use,” said Dr. Alwan, says in his forward message in the report.
Globally, deaths from tobacco-related cardiovascular diseases were more likely to occur among younger adults. 38% of deaths of adults resulting from ischemic heart disease in the 30-44 age group were attributable to tobacco, while 71 % of all lung cancer deaths were linked to the use of tobacco.
The report contains country-specific estimates including death rates attributable to tobacco. It is intended to help countries assess the mortality of tobacco use and measure the success of efforts to discourage the use of the substance.
It follows the 2008 WHO report on the issue, which prompted some Member States to request the agency to consider generating estimates to give them an indication of their progress in combating tobacco use.
The regions with the highest number of deaths related to the use of tobacco are the Americas and Europe where tobacco use has been in use longer, according to the report.
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