TambakooKills News Bulletin (21 May 2008): Issue 383

TambakooKills News Bulletin
Wednesday, 21 May 2008
Issue 383

Heart diseases and strokes become the world's biggest killers: WHO's WORLD HEALTH STATISTICS 2008 report
The Hindu, India: 21 May 2008

To download the complete World Health Statistics 2008 report, click here (released on 19 May 2008)

Excerpt
Chronic conditions such as heart disease and stroke have taken over from infectious diseases as diarrhoea, HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis as the leading causes of death around the globe, says the World Health Statistics 2008 report of World Health Organization (WHO) which was released on 19 May 2008.

"We tend to associate developing countries with infectious diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. But in more and more countries the chief causes of death are non-communicable diseases, such as heart disease and stroke."

To read the complete news, click here
--------------------------------------

Bidi habit poses hidden health risk
The National, UAE: 21 May 2008

Excerpt
The first worldwide study to compile existing information about bidi consumption and manufacture -- and the health effects of smoking and producing bidis -- was published last week.

The report, titled Bidi Smoking and Public Health, reveals that India, home to the world's largest market of bidi consumers and producers, has more than 100 million bidi smokers. Of these, 2.3 per cent are children.

To read the complete news, click here
--------------------------------------

India can also import health products and services, tobacco and rum from Cuba
The Hindu, India: 21 May 2008

Excerpt
Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Cuba, who is visiting Delhi, Mr Amador said 'while Cuba needs to import food products, health products, transportation and energy services from India, India can also import health products and services, tobacco and rum from Cuba.

Comment: Health and tobacco go together?

To read the complete news, click here
---------------------------------------

Lifestyle diseases to cost India $237 bn by 2015
The Times of India: 21 May 2008

Excerpt
Smoking, consuming high-calorie fast food and being a couch potato will not only cut short your lifespan but will also cost the country dear.

A report, jointly prepared by the World Health Organization and the World Economic Forum, says India will incur an accumulated loss of $236.6 billion by 2015 on account of unhealthy lifestyles and faulty diet.

To download the complete World Health Statistics 2008 report, click here (released on 19 May 2008)

To read the complete news, click here
--------------------------------------

'Tobacco multinationals in Pakistan exploiting growers'
The News, Pakistan: 21 May 2008

Excerpt
Muhammad Ali, President Sarhad Chamber of Agriculture (SCA) Monday claimed the tobacco smokers have been spending Rs100 to 111 billion annually in Pakistan. He told 'The News' the cigarettes worth Rs90-96 billion were being manufactured locally while the rest being smuggled in or imported from countries like China, India and Japan.

He said, "Tobacco earns huge profit as one cigarette is made of one gram tobacco while 1000 cigarettes prepared from one kilogram. The government and multinational companies are minting a huge amount but all including Pakistan Tobacco Board were exploiting the poor farmers," he said.

To read the complete news, click here
--------------------------------------

Shah Rukh Khan smokes at IPL Cricket matches
Meri News, India: 20 May 2008

Excerpt
India's noted film-star and Bollywood heartthrob, 'the King Khan' - Shah Rukh Khan, again smoked cigarette after cigarette in full public view at the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket matches last week.

Dr Shekhar Salkar from National Organization for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE) who has been contributing significantly in strengthening tobacco control in India, was one of the few to raise concerns on the blatant disregard by Shahrukh of the repeated pleas from not only the health advocates, but also of the India's Health and Family Welfare minister Dr Anbumani Ramadoss, which is also in-sync with the provisions of The Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act (2003).

To read the complete news, click here
--------------------------------------

Journalist argues 'creative liberty' against Dr Ramadoss' efforts to advocate for smoke-free films
The Times of India, India: 21 May 2008

Excerpt
"Truth be told, people get subliminal messages about products all the time. Let's face it, everything boils down to individual choice when you have all these products available on the shelves in supermarkets and one gets information from so many mediums these days. These are all aspects of the pop culture today, and it is hypocritical to expect people to conform to them. Such criticism is bound to kill artistic creativity and make people afraid to try something new.

"If the health minister is so worried about people's health, he should try stopping the production of such harmful products. At the end of the day, films are a reflection of the society. I think Mr Ramadoss is using Bollywood to stay in news."

To read the complete news, click here
---------------------------------------

'Submissiveness of Ministry of Health is becoming triumph for tobacco industry'
The News, Pakistan: 20 May 2008

Excerpt
The submissiveness of the Ministry of Health and its partners in the crusade against tobacco control in Pakistan is becoming the triumph of the tobacco industry.

No new restrictions on tobacco advertisements; no headway in introduction of rotating or picture-based health warnings on cigarette packs; no ban on designated smoking areas in line with the World Health Organisation's strategy of 100 per cent smoke-free environments; and no major breakthroughs in implementation of the Prohibition of Smoking and Protection of Non-Smokers Health Ordinance 2002 are in the pipeline ahead of the fast approaching World No-Tobacco Day on May 31.

To read the complete news, click here

*****************************************

To download or read Hindi and English language news bulletin/ articles on tobacco control, click here or go to:
http://TambakooKills.blogspot.com

To receive email updates on tobacco control in Hindi and English languages, send an email to:
TambakooKills-subscribe@yahoogroups.co.uk

----------------------------

Jointly brought to you by the Tambakoo-Kills youth team supported by:

Indian Society Against Smoking (ISAS), Abhinav Bharat Foundation (ABF), Asha Parivar, Citizen News Service (CNS) and Tobacco Cessation Clinic of CSM Medical University

Email: Tambakoo.Kills@gmail.com
-----------------------------