Cameroon: WHO Recommends Increase in Beer Prices

Source from:  The Post (Buea) 14 September 2008 09/16/2008

In a move to stem the harmful use of alcohol, the World Health Organisation, WHO, Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Luis Gomes Sambo, has recommended an increase in taxes and prices of alcoholic drinks. Health experts believe that alcohol constitutes a serious threat to health and development efforts of the African Region,Dr. Sambo, who devoted part of his biennial report at the just-ended Yaounde conference of the 58th Session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa, on the negative effects of alcohol, proposed a 10-point action plan to curb the harmful consumption of alcohol. Amongst the need for increased taxes and prices of alcoholic products, he also called for restricting sale; regulating marketing; enacting, strengthening or enforcing drinking and driving laws; establishing and strengthening alcohol information and surveillance systems; increasing community action; strengthening health sector response; raising political commitment and building partnerships. According to the Regional Director, in 2000 and 2002, estimates of total deaths in the region as a result of harmful use of alcohol showed a significant burden of 2.1 and 2.2 percent respectively. Globally, in 2000, harmful use of alcohol was responsible for four percent of the burden of disease and 3.2 percent of all deaths.The report shows increases in alcohol consumption and changes in drinking patterns among adolescents as well as the narrowing gap between men and women drinkers. "Health and social costs linked to the harmful use of alcohol both to the consumer and society include unemployment, crime and violence especially against women and increased admission to healthcare facilities," the WHO Regional Director's report highlights. Apart from excessive alcohol consumption, Dr. Sambo equally told the delegates that non-communicable diseases such as injuries, mental health problems and substance abuse like tobacco, is on the rise in the region. He noted that the consequences of these from findings are a high prevalence of hypertension and high blood sugar in some countries, orchestrating the establishment of non-communicable disease control programmes. He said by December 2007, 35 countries had ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.Sambo also said Global Youth Tobacco Survey in some 31 countries show that 30 to 80 percent of youths aged 13 to 15 had been exposed to second smoke. Other key issues brought up by member states of WHO for African Region included the need for increasing advocacy for strengthening health systems in order to improve scaling-up of key programmes such as HIV, TB, and malaria. These, according to them, have an important impact on the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs. Worries were also expressed on increase in HIV prevalence despite ongoing HIV prevention and treatment efforts. The Sambo report had noted that HIV/AIDS pandemic is still an enormous barrier to socio-economic development in sub-Saharan Africa, accounting for more than 68 percent of global HIV infections and more than 76 percent of AIDS-related deaths. "In 2007, an estimated 1.7 million adults and children had become infected with HIV," the report further notes.Other areas of concern during the five-day conference included the health of women; strengthening public health laboratories; primary healthcare; elimination of iodine deficiency disorders; kicking polio out of Africa, prevention and control of cancer and improvement in patient safety.The conference brought together health ministers and experts from 46 countries. Enditem