WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic

The World Health Organization (WHO) has just released their "Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic, 2008 - The MPOWER package."

This landmark report presents the first comprehensive worldwide analysis of tobacco use and control efforts and outlines the "MPOWER" package, a set of six key tobacco control measures that reflect and build on the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

Among the many key findings, the report documents the tobacco epidemic's shift to the developing world, where 80% of the annual tobacco-related deaths are expected to occur. According to the report, this shift results from a global tobacco industry strategy to target young people and adults in the developing world, ensuring that millions of people become fatally addicted every year.

The report confirms that the global tobacco epidemic is one of the greatest public health threats of modern times but it is entirely preventable - the means to curb the epidemic are clear and within reach.