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29 March 2024

5m people die every year due to smoking

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By VM Sathish

More than a billion people will die due to smoking if governments and health authorities do not take corrective steps to control smoking, a major cause of cancer and other Non Communicable Diseases (NCD) that cause seven out of ten deaths in the world. The two major risk factors causing NCDs is smoking and alcohol, a panel of doctors attending the first ever Global Forum on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) said in Sharjah.

Professor Srinath Reddy, President, Public Health Foundation India, while making the Keynote address of the global forum on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) organized by Friends of Cancer Patient in Sharjah said one billion people will die due to smoking after tobacco killed more than 100 million people in the twentieth century. Advocating introduction of more taxes and creation of more no smoking areas, he said the situation is alarming and governments and civil society organisations need to work together to fight the menace of NCDs.

Speaking to Emirates 24|7, Jose Luis Castro, Chair of NCD Alliance and Executive Director, International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases said about 65 per cent of all the deaths in the world are caused by NCDs. “About 35 million people have died of NCDs in the world and eighty per cent of the deaths are in the low and middle income countries.” Governments engaged in tobacco monopolies should also discourage smoking, according to the Forum members. Reducing smoking rate will go a long way in reducing mortality due to NCDs.

“In the UAE too NCDs account for 60 per cent of all the deaths. One in four persons dies of cardiviscular deiseases or cancer and the situation will get worst due to increasing level of diabetics and cancers. The high smoking rate, sedimentary lifestyle, alcoholism cause NCDs. NCD alliance is a global network of 2,000 civil society organisations from 170 countries.”

Speaking about a billion deaths from smoking, he said one billion deaths only from tobacco related illnesses is projected by the NCD Alliance, taking into account the casualty trend in the previous years.

 “Every year about five million people die due to tobacco and smoking. If the trend continues and governments are not taking corrective steps like increasing tobacco tax or introduce more non smoking areas in the next century one  billion people will die from smoking related illnesses, especially cancer.” The World Health Organization says lung cancer is the most common cancer worldwide, accounting for 1.8 million new cases in 2012, and is responsible for nearly one in five cancer deaths. In fact, it claims more lives yearly than breast, colon and prostate cancers combined. Smokers get TB, lung cancer and other ailments, and many HIV patients too suffer from TB.

 The increasing cases of cancer and other NCD disease will cause huge burden on the government and there will be a proliferation of disabled people caused by smoking, affecting the economic productivity. “Smoking is increasing in the region and the first ever forum of Non Communicable Diseases held in Sharjah is attended by 250 delegates from six continents.”

The Global NC D Alliance Forum 2015 organised under the patronage of Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed al Quasimi, Wife of the Ruler of Sharjah and Founder Patron of Friends of Cancer Patients aims to strengthen civil society role in fighting NCDs and reducing premature deaths from NCDs by 25 per cent by 2025.

Dr Sawsan Abdul Salam Al Madhi, Director Friends of Cancer Patients said FCB is hosting the NCD Alliance in Sharjah. Its founder and patron, Sheikha Jawahar is the ambassador of World Cancer Declaration for Union of International Cancer Control, and she takes active interest in the regional and global fight against NCDs with the help of 2000 plus civil society organisations.

Dr Sawsan said that for the first time the UN General Assembly accepted NCDs as a major health agenda. “We have about 230 delegates from 40 countries representing 50 organisations here. Heart disease, diabetics, cancer, obesity, arthritis and many NCDs are on the rise. “This is the first such concference in the world. The WHO statistics says if we do not do anything to fight NCDs in the next  25byears, countries will spend 20 trillion dollars for treating the ailment which will be a heavy burden. NCDs are caused among others by smoking that causes many diseases,

The two day NCDForum was attended by more than 200 delegates, including national and regional NCD Alliance representatives, global health experts and recognised NCD champions, patient advocates, international NGOs, government representatives, NCD Alliance Steering Group members and supporters.