AN INSIGHT ON TOBACCO AWARENESS

The words of previous WHO Director-General Dr. Gro Harlem still resonate today. Let us all speak out: Tobacco is a killer. It should not be advertised, subsidized or glamorized. Every 6 seconds, someone somewhere in the world dies because of tobacco use. If we dont take any action now, tobacco will claim 1 billion lives during this century. Tobacco is the only legal product that when used as directed, is lethal. Its influence extends into all corners of the globe, threatening lives and livelihoods and endangering the health and prosperity of developed and

developing nations alike.

The WORLD TOBACCO DAY is observed on 31st MAY against this backdrop. The day is observed to educate the public on the dangers of using tobacco, the business practices of tobacco companies, what the WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION( WHO ) is doing to fight the tobacco epidemic and what people around the world can do to healthy living and to protect future generations. In 2011, tobacco use killed approximately 6 million people worldwide, with 80% of those deaths occurring in low and middle-income nations. TOBACCO USE IS THE ONLY RISK FACTOR THAT IS COMMON TO ALL FOUR OF THE MAJOR CHRONIC DISEASES-----CANCER, HEART DISEASE, CHRONIC LUNG DISEASE AND DIABETES. Research says: When you strip it down to what matters, there is really only one thing anyone needs to know about tobacco: IT KILLS PEOPLE ARLENE KING, CMO OF HEALTH, CANADA, 2010.

Globally, tobacco is responsible for more than 15% of deaths among men and 7% of deaths among women.

In addition to smoking themselves, women are often the victims of second hand smoke exposure, illness, and death. Exposure to second hand smoke most commonly occurs in the home, workplace, and public areas and is especially risky for infants, children, pregnant women, and foetuses. Tobacco smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals and compounds. Hundreds of these are toxic, and atleast 69 are cancer-causing. In India, where tobacco is used in various forms, the death toll could still be very much on the higher side. In India, CANCER has become one of the 10 leading causes of death. Annually 10 lakhs new cases are being reported. Over 70% of cancer cases in India are diagnosed during the advanced stages of the disease, resulting in poor survival and high mortality. Countries do not profit economically from tobacco production and consumptioninfact they suffer financial harm.

 The tobacco industry is among the top-10 most influencial industries in the world because of its sheer magnitude of wealth and sales, -----MACKAY, A PHYSICIAN AND ADVISOR TO THE WORLD LUNG FOUNDATION AND WHO. A global public health compaign is needed to bar big tobaccos designs. Policies that make it extremely expensive ot extremely difficult, for tobacco producers to advertise their product, sell their product and which penalize any and all entities connected in any way with the sale of tobacco to minors must be developed and adopted, across borders. TOBACCO CONTROL IS GOOD FOR HEALTH AND WEALTH OF NATIONS. According to WHO( 2011 ), Doctors and other health-care workers are most effective in assisting patients to quit when they serve as role models by not smoking themselves. Their effectiveness increases further if they are visibly involved in local and national tobacco control activities.

This article is contributed by DR KALPANA KIKERI. She has completed her dental education from prestigious Manipal University, Manipal. She is a qualified endodontist. She has served as a faculty member of Mauras Hospital, Mauritius. Currently, she is practicing full-time at a private dental set up..Those who are extremely interested in Participating in tobacco compaign, please contact me at my email:dr.kalpana26@yahoo.com

This article is contributed by Dr kalpana kikeri.She