Tobacco's Worldwide Impact: Participate in World No Tobacco Day
World No Tobacco Day, sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO), is observed every year on May 31. This year’s theme is Tobacco: Deadly in Any Form or Disguise. The goal is to raise awareness about the harmful health effects of all forms of tobacco (e.g., cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, bidis, kreteks, clove cigarettes, cigars, shisha [flavored tobacco smoked in a hookah pipe], and others). Tobacco use is associated with cancers of the lungs, throat, mouth, larynx, esophagus, pancreas, cervix, kidney, stomach and bladder and life threatening diseases such as cardiovascular disease.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) highlighted tobacco-related information in its recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) released May 26, 2006. The global burden of deaths attributable to tobacco use each year is estimated to double from 5 million in 2005 to 10 million in 2020. According to the school-based Global Youth Tobacco Survey data of self-reported cigarette and other tobacco product use during 1999-2005, nearly two of every 10 students ages 13-15 years old across 132 different countries and the Gaza Strip/West Bank reported currently using a tobacco product. These data illustrate a worldwide problem of tobacco use among adolescents, though tobacco use was highest in the American and European regions. Since tobacco use is one of the major preventable causes of premature death and disease in the world, it is imperative that more countries need to develop, implement, and evaluate their tobacco-control programs to address the use of all types of tobacco products.
The World No Tobacco Day website provides information on activities around the world, materials, and other important links to prepare and publicize special events.
The recent MMWR report is available on-line at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5520.pdf. Please visit http://www.who.int/tobacco/en for further information on WHO's tobacco control initiative and World No Tobacco Day activities.
For additional information, please contact:
Tobacco Free Initiative
WHO/Noncommunicable Disease and Mental Health
20 Avenue Appia
1211 Geneva 27
Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 791 2126
Fax: + 41 22 791 4832
E-mail: tfi@who.int
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Office on Smoking and HealthGlobal Tobacco Control Program
4770 Buford Highway, N.E.
Mailstop K-50
Atlanta, Georgia 30341-3717
Tel: 770-488-5703
Fax: 770-488-5767
Web: www.cdc.gov/tobacco/global
E-mail: tobaccoinfo@cdc.gov
Source: WHO and CDC websites.