Epidemic

WASHINGTON, Feb 19, CMC – The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is urging Caribbean countries to speed up the adaption of laws to control the tobacco “epidemic,” saying that, despite progress in the countries of the Americas, the epidemic continues to grow.

In a new report, PAHO, the regional office for the Americas of the World Health Organization (WHO), said applying at least six measures could help prevent one million deaths annually.

The six measures comprise large, graphic health warnings on tobacco packaging that effectively inform consumers.

They include protect young people from aggressive tobacco industry marketing; banning all forms of tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship; monitor use of tobacco products; protect people from exposure to second-hand smoke; offer help to quit smoking; and raise taxes on tobacco products.

“These are the six practical, affordable, and achievable measures recommended by WHO to help countries implement specific measures in the Convention,” PAHO said.

The “Report on Tobacco Control in the Region of the Americas 2013,” summarises progress in the implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the first international public health treaty, which entered into force in 2005.

In the Americas, PAHO said 29 of 35 countries are parties to the treaty, which obliges its States Parties to apply a series of polices and measures to reduce tobacco consumption and protect their populations from second-hand smoke.