Today is World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) that is observed across the world every year on May 31, since 1987. Increasing rate of tobacco consumption is a matter of prime concern these days. World No Tobacco Day is being observed around the world in order to bring awareness about the ill effects of tobacco consumption among the people in which a 24-hour period of abstinence from all forms of tobacco consumption across the globe is appealed.
This was an initiative of the member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1987, which further drew the global attention due to the predominance of tobacco use and its negative health effects which is responsible for the death of 5.4 million people worldwide annually at present. The programme started with a mixed response of enthusiasm and resistance across the world from governments, public health organizations, smokers, growers, and the tobacco industry.
Each year, a specific theme is decided which becomes the central component for the WHO's tobacco-related agenda for the entire year. The theme for this year is 'Tobacco Industry Interference'.
This to be noted that ban on all tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship worldwide was imposed in 2008, on the eve of the World No Tobacco Day by WHO.
Tobacco consumption is a leading cause of disease, disability, and death across the globe leading various types of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory disorders and premature death of infants.
Tobacco use is most prevalent among the youths all over the world in the form of Cigarettes and other forms of tobacco such as cigars, pipe tobacco, snuff, gutka and chewing tobacco, which also has a severe health effect on the non smokers too.
The theme for this year's World No Tobacco Day campaign will focus on the need to expose and counter the tobacco industry's continuous and highly aggressive attempts to debilitate the efforts of global tobacco control.
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