Tobacco and heart disease is the theme of this year’s World No Tobacco Day (WNTD), 31 May.

Led by the WHO, this year’s WNTD campaign aims to increase awareness on the:

• Link between tobacco and heart and other cardiovascular diseases (CVD), including stroke, which combined are the world’s leading causes of death;
• Feasible actions and measures that key audiences, including governments and the public, can take to reduce the risks to heart health posed by tobacco.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) kill more people than any other cause of death worldwide, and tobacco use and second-hand smoke exposure contribute to approximately 12 percent of all heart disease deaths. Tobacco use is the second leading cause of CVD, after high blood pressure.

“Recent studies by the WHO and The Lancet have reinforced what we have known for a long time: investing in ‘best buy’ interventions to, for example, reduce smoking and salt intake, have huge economic benefits.” - NCDA CEO Katie Dain.

“Recent studies by the WHO and The Lancet have reinforced what we have known for a long time: investing in ‘best buy’ interventions to, for example, reduce smoking and salt intake, have huge economic benefits,” said NCDA CEO Katie Dain.

“The latest WHO report shows that a 15 percent reduction in premature mortality could be achieved by 2030 at a very low investment of just an additional $1.27 per person per year in LLMICs.”

Governments can loosen the death grip of heart disease on their populations by implementing measures in line with the WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, said the Framework Convention Alliance and the World Heart Federation in a joint media release.

These measures include:

• Raising taxes on tobacco products,
• Making them less affordable and enacting smoke-free legislation,
• Protecting people from exposure to tobacco smoke.

Visit the WHO’s World No Tobacco Day page