The experts' report, which will be published in the July issue of the international medical journal The Lancet, notes that policies aimed at creating smoke-free zones have a positive effect on the health of children and adults, reduce the number of smokers among the adult population, and also reduce the risk of heart and other diseases associated with this habit. Experts from Medinex on their website http://medinex.ru/ predict that over time a link between the introduction of the ban and a reduction in the number of lung cancer cases may be proven. Since cancer can manifest within 20 years, scientists currently do not have specific figures, but they are confident that the number of cancer cases among smokers will decrease.
According to experts, the policy of creating smoke-free work zones has also proven itself: the number of passive smokers decreased, and active smokers reduced their daily cigarette consumption. The total number of respiratory patients among those working in smoke-free offices also decreased. Scientists also spoke positively about voluntary smoking cessation in private homes. This measure has already led to a reduction in the number of tobacco-dependent young people.
In their recommendations, WHO experts strongly advise joining countries that have already introduced smoking bans in public places. For example, from 2010, the most smoking country in the European Union – Greece – will introduce a ban on smoking in public places (currently smoking is prohibited in hospitals, offices, taxis, and it is recommended to refrain from tobacco in bars and restaurants).
"Currently, tobacco smoking is the main and only preventable cause of premature death," says the head of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, Peter Boyle. According to him, fears that the smoking ban would negatively affect the income of the restaurant industry have not materialized.
Last week, the WHO also prepared an annual report on the state of health worldwide. As in last year's report, the main challenge of the 21st century is the increasing mobility of the world's population. As WHO Director-General Margaret Chan notes, the way of life of humanity on the planet has changed significantly over the past 50 years. This is due to rapid population growth, human intrusion into previously uninhabited areas, rapid urbanization, the emergence of new agricultural methods, and the mobility of the world's inhabitants.
As stated in the report, 40 diseases unknown to the previous generation have now been recorded worldwide. At least one new disease appears every year - an unprecedented rate. Among the diseases posing the greatest threat to humans are severe acute respiratory syndrome, Ebola fever, Marburg hemorrhagic fever, Nipah virus, extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis, and avian influenza.
The rapid spread of diseases and the high likelihood of epidemics, according to Margaret Chan, are due to the fact that almost 2 billion people take air flights annually. The only effective measure to prevent future epidemics, the report's authors call for broad technical and humanitarian cooperation between all countries of the world.