Steep decline in tobacco consumption in India, says WHO report

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said that the prevalence of tobacco use has decreased in India. According to WHO, more than 10 million die every year due to tobacco in India.

New Delhi:According to a report from the World Health Organisation (WHO), tobacco consumption in India is expected to decrease steeply in the near future.

Speaking to ETV Bharat, Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, regional director WHO, claimed that its a major campaign to raise awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco.

"It's a major campaign. We are trying to say that the harmful effects of tobacco are such that it leads to a lot of death and serious diseases," said Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh, regional director, WHO.

Quoting the World Health Organisation survey, Dr Poonam said that tobacco consumption in India is decreasing and the trend is expected to continue in the near future.

"Periodically we conduct a survey with the help of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). We have a global adult tobacco survey, we have global youth tobacco survey. And in both these, we found a declining trend in tobacco consumption in India," regional director WHO said.

WHO carries health-related surveys with the help of the CDC, which is a United States federal agency. According to WHO, more than 10 million die every year due to tobacco in India.

Outlying WHO's mandate of talking about healthy and safe food, Dr Poonam said, "Government must act on adulterated food as well."