WHO to launch campaign to protect youngsters from tobacco addiction

Muscat: The use of tobacco most often causes cancer, besides financial and social problems.

A statement issued online by the World Health Organization Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (WHO EMRO), said: ”On World No Tobacco Day this year (May 31), WHO is launching a campaign to protect young people from tobacco use.”

Smoking is a major risk factor for heart attacks, strokes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including emphysema and chronic bronchitis, and causes many types of cancer especially lung cancer, throat and mouth cancer, bladder cancer, and pancreatic cancer. It also causes peripheral arterial disease and high blood pressure.

Smoking is not only harmful to health, but it goes on to cost heavily on the economic side as well; as it imposes tremendous costs on smokers, employers and the society at large.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates the economic damage of smoking worldwide annually at more than $ 500 billion, and smoking drains approximately 15% of the total health care expenditures in high-income countries, and the cost of drug treatment to stop smoking costs up to $ 4,400.

One of the most successful ways to reduce smoking is to increase tobacco taxes, as the increase in the price of cigarettes by 10% anywhere in the world reduces the prevalence of smoking by between 4% and 8%, the WHO said.

The World No Tobacco Day falls on May 31 each year. All countries and the Health Ministries And Organisations celebrate this occasion by spreading awareness on the dangers of smoking and how to overcome this bad habit.