TOBACCO EPIDEMIC IN PAKISTAN

Abstract

Tobacco use in any form is deadly. Smoking kills more than half of all its regular users. According to WHO, the annual death toll attributable to tobacco is expected to rise from the current estimates of 5.4 million/year to 10 million/year by 2025. And over 70% of these deaths would be in the developing  countries . Tobacco is the single most preventable cause of disease and death in the world today. In most countries of the world important measures have been taken to control this epidemic. Such measures include implementation of clean air laws, increased taxation of tobacco products, educating the public on tobacco hazards and pictorial warning on cigarettes packs. Unfortunately Pakistan is lagging behind rest of the world in its efforts to control this epidemic.