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PAHO NEWS:  Press Releases, Job Vacancies, and Other
Information from the Pan American Health Organization
(PAHO) via the Canadian Society for International Health
(CSIH) http://www.csih.org; Technical Representative in
Canada for PAHO
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Statement by Dr. George Alleyne, Director, Pan American
Health Organization World No-Tobacco Day 1999
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This year's theme for World No Tobacco Day on 31 May is
Smoking Cessation.  The slogan is "Leave the pack
behind." It is a simple message.  Please don't smoke.
If you smoke, quit today.  This message is particularly
applicable to the 30% of the adult population of the
Americas who smoke.

The Pan American Health Organization is involved in
tobacco control activities because tobacco has been
defined as the number one preventable disease in the
Region, causing more deaths than AIDS, alcohol and drug
abuse, traffic accidents and violence combined. Tobacco
kills approximately 3 million people a year in the world
(7% of all deaths) and, if current trends continue, this
figure will rise to 10 million by the year 2030, half
these deaths will be in developing nations.

Experts, and common sense, tell us that the best
approach to tobacco control is to discourage people from
starting to smoke in the first place.  Moreover, we must
help current smokers, including teenagers and young
persons, kick their addiction to nicotine. The nature of
this addictive disorder is deeply rooted in the brain's
chemical systems and reinforced by complex human
behaviors that are very difficult to change. Also,
tobacco firms invest huge sums in marketing and
advertising to convince people that smoking their brand
is glamorous, sexy, or "cool." It is not.

Quitting smoking is a difficult task, even with
psychological and medical assistance. Cigarettes are the
best nicotine delivery devices, providing a high dose of
nicotine very quickly to the brain. That is why it is so
challenging to quit smoking.  You may have good
intentions to quit, but nicotine has already caught your
brain.

Smokers considering quitting are constantly deceived by
advertising for "lighter" brands that offer less harmful
or milder ingredients. This is a sham. No cigarette is
safe, and no cigarette is healthy.  Our message is
simple.  Smoking will kill you, so don't start.  If you
smoke now, quit.  If you can't quit on your own, get
help.

Increasing tobacco consumption is a serious risk factor
in Latin America. Lung cancer, cardiovascular and
chronic respiratory diseases are rising.  Moreover,
despite any perceived economic gains from tobacco, the
facts are that tobacco consumption has a net negative
effect on the economies of producing countries. Any
earnings from tobacco sales or exports are more than
offset by higher health expenditures resulting from
treating people for cancer, emphysema, and a host of
other tobacco-related health problems.

The World Bank conservatively estimates that tobacco is
a net drain on the world economy of about $200 billion a
year, but the true costs are much higher because of
underestimation of health costs, losses of caretakers in
families, losses from fires and deforestation, and other
factors.

The Ministers of Health of the Americas, "recognizing
the seriousness of the epidemic of tobacco use and
dependency as a priority health problem in the Region,
especially among children and adolescents," have asked
our member countries to "take urgent steps to protect
children and adolescents through the regulation of
advertising, to enforce the laws and ordinances aimed at
eliminating the sale of tobacco products to minors, and
to establish effective prevention programs."  They have
also asked each country to prepare and put into practice
a plan of action to prevent and control tobacco use. In
addition, the Ministers have asked me to study the
feasibility of a regional convention against tobacco
use.

We can and will take up the battle against tobacco, but
we cannot do it alone.  We need your help.  Get involved
in the issue and help us.  Above all, don't start
smoking, and if you already smoke, join us and leave the
pack behind.  Thank you.

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The Pan American Health Organization, founded in 1902,
works with all the countries of the Americas to improve
the health of their peoples and raise their living
standards.  It serves as the Regional Office for the
Americas of the World Health Organization.
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This document is available, with full formatting and
accents, at http://www.csih.org/paho_ndx.html