Every year 31st May is marked as World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) by the WHO and Partners with a motive to aware people with the ill-effects of Tobacco intake. It is intended to encourage a 24-hour period of abstinence from all forms of tobacco consumption across the globe. Tobacco kills nearly six million people every year, of which more than 600 000 are non-smokers exposed to second-hand smoke.
The member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) created World No Tobacco Day in 1987. In the past twenty years, the day has been met with both enthusiasm and resistance across the globe from governments, public health organizations, smokers, growers, and the tobacco industry. The WHO follows a new theme each year to create more unified global message. This theme then becomes the central component of the WHO’s tobacco-related agenda for the following year.
Director-General Ms Margaret Chan (WHO) chose “BAN TOBACCO ADVERTISING, PROMOTION, AND SPONSORSHIP” as the theme of World No Tobacco Day 2013. One of the most cost-effective ways to reduce tobacco demand and thus a tobacco control “best buy” is banning tobacco advertising and sponsorship. The main objective of this theme is to highlight and influence tobacco control activities and also raise funds for the cancer patients. Various hoardings, banners, posters, advertisements are done to create this awareness. Unless we act, the epidemic will kill more than 8 million people every year by 2030.
The another motive of WNTD is to protect the present as well as future generations from the devastating health consequences due to tobacco usage. So spread the word and do contribute in the WNTD 2013’s theme for better and healthy environment and thus reduce the number of deaths. SAY NO TO TOBACCO!
