World Health Organization to release first report on global tobacco use and control efforts

Geneva, 4 February. Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in the world and one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced. It kills 5.4 million people a year. Unchecked, the death toll could increase to more than 8 million a year by 2030. To intensify efforts to reverse this growing epidemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) is releasing a new report which provides, for the first time, an analysis of the state of tobacco use and control efforts across the world. The report not only documents this in unprecedented detail but also presents a roadmap that identifies the most powerful way forward.

WHO Director-General, Dr Margaret Chan, and New York Mayor, Michael R. Bloomberg, will hold a news conference highlighting the key findings and recommendations of the Report on Thursday 7 February in New York.