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Magazine
Healthwatch
To breathe free
DR. R. NARASIMHAN
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This World No Tobacco Day, May 31, was aimed at making youth free of this dreaded habit that predisposes them to serious and life-threatening problems.
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Photo: S. S. Kumar
Silent killer: Volunteers spreading awareness on the ills of smoking.
World No Tobacco day is celebrated all over the world on May 31. Tobacco is the leading preventable cause of death. Approximately 1.8 billion young people (10 to 24 years) live in this world. Eighty-five per cent of this population lives in developing countries. Having lived happily in the early years, these youth should not be dragged into this deadly habit by luring and enticing ads. That is why this year’s resolution is Tobacco-free youth.
What is the genesis of this world No Tobacco day? This yearly celebration informs the public on the dangers of using tobacco, the business practices of tobacco companies, what WHO is doing to fight the tobacco epidemic, and what people around the world can do to claim their right to health and healthy living and to protect future generations.
World attention
The first World No Tobacco day was celebrated in 1987 to draw the global attention to the tobacco epidemic and the preventable diseases that it causes. Now we have realised that there is no system that is not affected by tobacco and sadly all are preventable. Not only do the smokers suffer, they cause the people around them to suffer too. The idea of isolating smokers in one corner of the airport or in some corner is not a good practice as we are doing injustice to smokers by increasing their nicotine exposure by several times. The best way is to enforce the rule that there should be no smoking in airports and in public spaces and display prominently that the airport is a non-smoking zone. This way the no smoking ban in public spaces can be enforced.
Every year resolutions are passed and it is better to get back and see some of the telling resolutions previously passed on this No Tobacco day.
1990: Childhood and youth without tobacco: growing up without tobacco
1991: Public places and transport: better be tobacco free
1992: Tobacco-free workplaces: safer and healthier
1993: Health services: our windows to a tobacco-free world
1994: Media and tobacco: get the message across
1995: Tobacco costs more than you think
1996: Sport and art without tobacco: play it tobacco free
1997: United for a tobacco free world
1998: Growing up without tobacco
1999: Leave the pack behind
2000: Tobacco kills, don’t be duped
2001: Second-hand smoke kills
2002: Tobacco free sports
2003: Tobacco free film, tobacco free fashion
2004: Tobacco and poverty: a vicious circle
2005: Health professionals against tobacco
2006: Tobacco deadly in any form or disguise
2007: Smoke free inside
2008: Tobacco free youth
Tobacco is one of the few openly available commercial products that are virtually unregulated. At the same time, it is the only legally available product that kills one half of its regular users when consumed as recommended by its manufacturer. Despite all this, the pandemic of smoking continues. To address this issue, the Director-General of WHO has established a Study Group on Tobacco Product Regulation. The group, which includes leading scientists in the field, carries out research and drafts recommendations for WHO’s Member States on how to establish regulatory frameworks for the design and manufacture of tobacco products. None of these will have meaning unless the demand from smokers comes down or the kith and the kin of people afflicted with this disease insist on giving up this disease. I call this a disease, as smoking is no longer considered a habit but a disease that predisposes you to more serious and life-threatening problems. It is a contagious or infectious disease too!
Viable alternatives
To fight this menace, many drug companies came out with a wonderful drug that was withdrawn due to various reasons. Another drug is available now in market with lots of promise. There are many more substitutes available to make one come out of this deadly habit that causes damage to individuals, the public, environment besides many other unseen damages. But I must add here that there is no magic pill that will work like a breeze. They may reduce the stress by 15 per cent but a lot depends on your will power and kin support. I am sure that future is going to tell us that smoking is going to cause some preventable congenital abnormalities. So this No Tobacco day the focus was on preventing youth from taking to smoking. If this happens we will march towards a nation of non-smokers.
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