New WHO report on global tobacco epidemic

COLOMBO: The World Health Organisation (WHO) last week released a report that makes clear both the devastating scope of the global tobacco epidemic and that it is entirely avoidable if nations implement proven solutions.

This report presents what nations are doing to address this public health crisis and it demonstrates that most nations are not doing nearly enough. Only about five per cent of the world’s population is covered by any one of the key interventions recommended by the WHO.

Tobacco kills more than 25,000 people a year in Sri Lanka. Several private organisations and groups including medical associations have been pressuring the Government to arrest the epidemic by tightening the laws.

As a result, a comprehensive tobacco law was passed in 2005 by the Parliament. The groups are now exerting pressure on the authorities to fully enforce the law which has been welcome by the public.

Swarana Hansa Foundation, a pioneer organisation in effective tobacco control initiated a programme on the last World No Tobacco Day to create smoke free cities starting from Battaramulla.

“We have taken important steps in protecting our citizens But we know we must act now to do more,” said Gallege Punyawardana, Programme Executive of the Foundation.

“This important report gives us a road map we can use to reverse the tobacco epidemic and save lives.”

The WHO report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic 2008 finds that tobacco use already kills 5.4 million people a year and the epidemic is worsening, especially in the developing world where more than 80 per cent of tobacco caused deaths will occur in the coming decades.