Categories
· Health/Science
· Tobacco Control
non-USA, by Country
· Tanzania
· Africa
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As nicotine use spreads across Africa, cancer-fighting groups are advocating for stringent smoke-free laws as tobacco companies lobby to expand in a growing continental market
Jump to full article: Scientific American, 2009-11-12
Author: Katherine Harmon
Intro: Africa is already beleaguered by infectious diseases, such as AIDS and malaria, but now the continent's residents face growing health threats from preventable illnesses brought on by lifestyle changes, such as from poor diets and smoking.
In an effort to stave off these maladies, advocates have turned their sights on tobacco use, which is on the rise throughout Africa and projected to double by 2021. Of the approximately one billion people across the world who use tobacco, 60 million to 80 million live in Africa.
Along with lobbying for higher tobacco taxes and broader public health messages, advocates are hoping to eliminate smoking in public places in an effort to protect people from both first- and second-hand smoke.
About a billion people worldwide live in municipalities where smoking is outlawed in public places, according to a report published Tuesday by Global Smokefree Partnership (a joint initiative backed by the American Cancer Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer and 14 other entities) and announced in time for the African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer's (AORTIC) "Cancer in Africa" conference taking place this week in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Reducing secondhand smoke exposure can reduce the rates of lung cancer, heart attacks and breathing trouble in populations.
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