United Nations Radio

The World Health Organization is stepping up its efforts to prevent tobacco use from becoming as prevalent in Africa as it is in other parts of the world. WHO will help African governments to create smoke-free environments and provide treatment for smokers who want to give up the habit.

Dr Armando Peruga, with WHO's Tobacco free initiative, says although tobacco use is less prevalent in Africa, that could change unless we act. "Perhaps compared to other regions of the world the prevalence is not as high but precisely because of that it's a great opportunity to begin to stop the epidemic at the very beginning and to avoid that tobacco becomes a full-blown epidemic of the size of tuberculosis or AIDS in Africa. Africa cannot afford to have so many epidemics going on at the same time." Tobacco use is a risk factor for the major non-communicable diseases - heart attacks, strokes, cancer, diabetes, asthma and other chronic diseases - which together account for 60 per cent of all deaths in Africa. WHO will help African governments to implement the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control which, in addition to smoke-free environments and treatment, also calls for media warnings on the dangers of smoking, bans on advertising and sponsorship by tobacco companies, and an increase in taxes on tobacco products. The initiative will be sponsored in part by a 10 million dollar grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Diane Bailey, UN Radio. (duration: 1'36")