On Friday, July 26, 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched its report on the global tobacco epidemic of 2019. A report that gave the most up-to-date statistics on the epidemic worldwide.
While more governments are making progress in the fight against tobacco, the WHO notes that many governments are still not adequately implementing policies to help people quit tobacco.
It goes without saying that strong tobacco cessation support is needed to achieve the SDG targets on tobacco control.
Dr Vera Luiza da Costa e Silva, Head of the WHO FCTC Secretariat
However, the report finds that more countries have implemented tobacco control policies, ranging from graphic pack warnings and advertisement ban to no-smoking areas. The report further indicates that about 5 billion people – 65% of the world’s population – are covered by at least one strong tobacco control measure.