Subtle Tobacco Industry Advertising Tactics Hook Adolescents, Say WHO Experts

29/05/2020 Svĕt Lustig Vijay

In light of millions of smokers attempting to quit the vice during the COVID-19 pandemic, the industry has employed ‘very mean’, ‘very subtle’ and ‘very targeted’ tactics to hook young populations to “deadly’ tobacco products, according to WHO experts. “The tobacco industry understands what they’re doing, they’re targeting these children and adolescents. And that’s deliberate. […] Continue reading ->

As COVID-19 Cases In The Americas Rise; 1-4 People At Higher Risk Of Serious Illness Due To ‘Pervasive’ Incidence Of Underlying Diseases

26/05/2020 Svĕt Lustig Vijay

As global COVID-19 cases topped 5 million this past week, Latin America has surpassed Europe and the United States in terms of new cases being reported everyday, said WHO Regional Director for the Americas, Carissa Etienne, at a Pan American Health Organization press conference on Tuesday. There have been almost 32,000 new cases of COVID-19 […] Continue reading ->

E-Cigarette Use & Ads Aimed At Kids Threaten Tobacco Control Gains – On 15th Anniversary Of International Convention

06/03/2020 Grace Ren & Elaine Ruth Fletcher

As the World Health Organization and WHO member states celebrate 15 years since the signing of the the Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC), the global uptake in e-cigarettes, as well as targeted advertising aimed at children and adolescents, threatens the worldwide gains that have been achieved in reducing tobacco use. The convention is the […] Continue reading ->

Ethiopia Passes Landmark Excise Tax Bill On Cigarettes

19/02/2020 Press release

[WHO Africa Regional Office] In a strong move for the African state, the Ethiopian Parliament has passed landmark excise tax legislation on tobacco with the express aim of curbing smoking in the country – resulting in some of the strongest taxes on tobacco products on the continent. As a result of the legislation, Ethiopia has […] Continue reading ->

Laws Governing Global Health Emergencies Need Reform, Experts Say

17/02/2020 Priti Patnaik

The International Health Regulations are in need of reform, experts say – to create a more nuanced system of alerting the public about international health emergencies that goes beyond the existing yes-no decision, and to improve compliance to IHR laws by member states during such outbreaks. A high level panel of experts reviewed key concerns […] Continue reading ->

Controversy Swirls Over WHO Alcohol Reduction Strategy

06/02/2020 Elaine Ruth Fletcher

WHO member states were locked away in late-night negotiations over the shape of a proposed new WHO roadmap for reducing harmful alcohol consumption. A group of member states, led by Bangladesh, Indonesia, Iran, Sri Lanka and Thailand, have been pressing the WHO Executive Board (EB) to support the rapid development of a tough new WHO […] Continue reading ->

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair Appears At Tobacco-Supported Davos Panel

23/01/2020 Elaine Ruth Fletcher

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair appeared Wednesday at a World Economic Forum (WEF) side event hosted by The Economist Events, and supported by tobacco giant Philip Morris International (PMI), Health Policy Watch has learned. The Davos stage was not the first prestige event in Switzerland to which PMI has recently attached its name. In […] Continue reading ->

Tobacco Use Projected To Decline Among Men Worldwide In 2020; But Shift To E-Cigarettes Unknown Factor

19/12/2019 Grace Ren

For the first time in two decades, tobacco use is projected to decline among men in 2020, according to a new World Health Organization report on trends in global tobacco use. However, the new report does not consider trends in e-cigarette use, where use may in fact be increasing. “For many years now we had […] Continue reading ->

Leveraging Urban Leaders To Battle NCDs – Healthy Cities Partnership Expands To 70

12/12/2019 Elaine Ruth Fletcher

From clearing the air of hookah smoke in Amman, Jordan to bike lanes in Fortaleza, Brazil and salt-free menu options in the restaurants of Montevideo, Uruguay, the Partnership for Healthy Cities has been seeding small grants to cities across the globe – backed by a big ambition. The aim is to build a network of […] Continue reading ->

Beat NCDs With Healthier Behaviours, Environments & Education, Says WHO High-Level Commission

10/12/2019 Elaine Ruth Fletcher

Make the ¨healthiest choices the easiest choices¨ to prevent many non-communicable diseases. This was a key message from an Independent High-Level Commission report on Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), released Tuesday at a WHO Global Meeting to Accelerate Progress NCDs and Mental Health in Muscat, Oman. The report, ¨It´s Time to Walk the Talk¨, released on the […] Continue reading ->