Pakistan Prevents Thousands of Smoking-attributable Deaths

Source from:  The News (pk)  07/15/2013

Pakistan performs well on tobacco control front as it has been placed among the countries, which have prevented the most smoking-attributable deaths in the world over the last few years.

Pakistan, Thailand and Turkey have the greatest number of SADs averted due to their large populations, says an independent study appeared in the latest World Health Organisation bulletin. According to the study done in 41 countries, Turkey averted 880,396 SADs, Pakistan 450,275 and Thailand 326,749 from 2007 and 2010 due to smoke-free air policies.

During the said period, 1,760,792 people quit smoking in Turkey, 900,500 in Pakistan and 653,498 in Thailand. In total, 5,032,629 people, who were smoking in 2007, stopped lighting up as a result of SFA policies. As a result, 2,516,314 SADs were averted.

If the progress attained by the countries in question is extended globally, tens of millions of smoking-related deaths can be averted. For this, the public health community is required to continue advocating for smoke-free air policies of the highest level.

According to the study, tobacco control measures are meant to persuade around 15 million people in the world not to smoke by 2050 and thus, preventing around 7.4 million smoking-related deaths.

Among the most effective tobacco control measures reported in the study are higher taxes and ban on smoking in offices, restaurants and other public places. The first method is to avert around 3.5 million SADs and the second 2.5 million, the study says.

The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which came into force in 2005, is about monitoring tobacco use and tobacco control policies; protecting people from the dangers of tobacco smoke; offering help to quit tobacco; warning the public about the dangers of tobacco; enforcing bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship; and raising tobacco taxes. Enditem