NEW DELHI: Ruling out the possibility of the withdrawal of notification making pictorial warnings mandatory on tobacco products, Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Anbumani Ramadoss on Tuesday said that the world would also eventually take up this measure to save millions of lives.

Talking to reporters after a meeting with a high level team from Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP), Dr. Ramadoss said the notification could not be withdrawn because the Act under which it was issued was passed by Parliament, and on the recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee that had held elaborate discussions with the tobacco industry before presenting its report.

Admitting that tobacco control was the single largest measure that was to be taken to reduce tobacco-related diseases, Julie Louise Gerberding, Director of CDCP said that steps that made "sense," including graphics and images, should be promoted to give the true picture of the kind of damage tobacco products can do.

Tobacco testing lab

The CDCP will support India in setting up a world-class tobacco testing laboratory at Ahmedabad where products would be tested for quantity and quality of tobacco. This would be the largest laboratory of its kind in the country and will benefit the entire South East Asian region countries. "This is necessary because we need to mention the quantity of nicotine present in the products," Dr. Ramadoss said.

During its visit to India, the CDCP delegation visited Hyderabad and will fly to Pune from Delhi. The delegation held discussions with officials of the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry on issues related to polio, tuberculosis, avian influenza, and public health.

Issues on environment and occupational health, child nutrition and sexually transmitted diseases also figured in the talks.

Appreciating India's efforts in dealing with avian influenza outbreak, Dr. Gerberding said India had provided regional leadership in detecting, controlling and dealing with avian influenza.

The United States provided $ 3 million for avian influenza-related activities in India in 2006, including the immediate provision of diagnostic reagents to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The CDCP continues to provide technical and funding support for multi-centre surveillance of human influenza in India and has posted two senior scientists here. The CDCP and the USAIDS are also providing technical and laboratory support for Avian Influenza Rapid Response training and Avian influenza pandemic preparedness.

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