Smoking could kill 8 million in 2030, warns WHO report

Despite the great campaigns that have been conducted worldwide and restrictive laws, tobacco still kills 6 million people calls preventable diseases.

The warning was issued by the Director of the World Health Organization (WHO). Margaret Chan. She said that if current trends continue, that number should increase to 8 million deaths in 2030.

The Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic 2013 released on Wednesday (10), shows advances in the fight against smoking. The document cites that 24 countries have laws that completely prohibit the use of tobacco and its derivatives.

100 other nations have laws that prevent or prohibit smoking in any way. According to the report, 67 countries have not yet implemented any smoking ban or advertisements to promote tobacco and its derivatives.

<b> In Brazil </ b>

Brazil is cited in the report, with Turkey, Iran and Panama as one of the countries that have implemented measures to combat tobacco use.

The report estimates that 15% of Brazilian adults make use tobacco. The country adopted the six key measures known as Mpower, to combat and control tobacco use.

They represent the provisions contained in the Convention on Tobacco Control WHO, of which Brazil is a signatory.

The report also mentions São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Salvador and Fortaleza among the 100 cities in the world to reach higher levels of success in the control measures against smoking.

<b> The goals of the WHO </ b>

WHO makes clear that to achieve the goal of 30% reduction in tobacco use by 2025, more countries should implement comprehensive programs to control this problem.

Nonetheless, the report shows that there has been progress. Currently, 2.3 billion people live in countries that have at least a law to limit tobacco use. This number more than doubled in the past five years.

Moreover, the national anti-smoking campaigns reach 3 billion people worldwide. The report notes that tobacco causes cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and diabetes.

The director of the department for the prevention of chronic diseases of WHO, Douglas Bettcher stated that countries that have implemented bans along with control programs reported a significant decline in tobacco use in a few years.

According to the report, the creation of smoke-free public areas remains the most common form of combat and that achieves the best results.

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