India

On this World No Tobacco Day Choose Life over Heart Disease

On this World No Tobacco Day Choose Life over Heart Disease

This year on World No Tobacco Day, 31st May 2018 the Central government and Delhi government will hold campaigns to inform and educate the people about how the tobacco is a major cause of heart diseases, heart problems and plays a major role in the deaths of millions of people all over the country. As majority of tobacco users in India are young teenagers and adults, so to educate them about its harmful problems volunteers will visit schools and colleges and campaign against tobacco and its use. The government campaigns will target the school and college going students in the anti-tobacco campaign under the tobacco-free Delhi, tobacco-free India initiative. Social media will also play a vital role in the campaigns. With its wide reach and easy accessibility it will be used as a major platform to campaign on.

Started in the year 1987 by the members of the World Health Organization (WHO) the day is celebrated annually all across the globe.  Every year on World No Tobacco Day a theme is assigned and the campaigns by governments and NGOs focus on the theme. And the theme for 2018 world no tobacco day is “Tobacco and heart disease”, or “Tobacco breaks hearts”, the theme will focus on how the tobacco affects the health of the heart and causes heart attacks and other cardiovascular diseases like stroke, which are the world’s leading causes of death. The theme also promotes the actions which can be taken by the people and health organizations to prevent the problems caused by the tobacco to the heart.

The use of tobacco and tobacco related products have many health problems like hair falling, heart problems, lung cancer to the ones who use it. According to the WHO, almost 6 million people die each year of tobacco use, but the numbers don’t stop there as 600,000 people die due to second-hand smoke or by becoming passive smokers. But the problems related to tobacco and cigarette are severe to other elements as well, as the environment is polluted with the cigarette smoke and the billions of cigarette butts thrown on the ground become the reason of chocked landfills.

“Tobacco threatens us all,” says WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan in a press release. “Tobacco exacerbates poverty, reduces economic productivity, contributes to poor household food choices, and pollutes indoor air.”

On this World No Tobacco Day, WHO has urged countries to take a firm step against the use and consumption of tobacco and smoking not only to improve healthcare but also to reduce poverty and prevent environmental degradation caused by the tobacco and its products.

 

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Aman Kumar Singh

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