Ladies and gentlemen,
Dear parents,
Today, 4 February 2008, we are commemorating the World Cancer Day. The International Union Against Cancer, in partnership with the World Health Organization, is taking this opportunity to launch the campaign «I love my smoke-free childhood ». Various mobilization, education and awareness raising activities will be carried out during the campaign for a smoke-free environment for children in accordance with the WHO Tobacco Free Initiative.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all partners who are intervening and supporting the WHO African Region in the fight against cancer and smoking. My thanks also go to our choice partners, United Nations agencies and the International Union Against Cancer for their constant commitment and to all States of the Region which ratified and implemented the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
Cancer is a series of serious noncommunicable and potentially preventable diseases. It represents a major public health problem in the WHO African Region where, in 2002, the number of new cases of cancer per year was estimated at 582 000 and deaths at 412 000. If no cancer control intervention is scaled up, in 2020 there will be about one million new cases of cancer more than half of whom will die. By the same date, globally, the number of deaths due to smoking will reach 10 million per year, 70% of which will be in developing countries.
Smoking is one of the major risk factors of cancer. Already a clear and obvious relationship between smoking and increase in mortality was established as far back as the 1960s. Mortality among smokers is about three times higher than among non-smokers. The toxic effects of tobacco are well known and many epidemiological studies have highlighted the harmful consequences of such intoxication on the respiratory and cardiovascular status of people and the occurrence of many cancers. Smoking causes cancers of all parts of the human body, particularly of the lung, mouth, oropharynx, larynx, oesophagus, bladder, kidney and uterine cervix.
Harmful to the adult, tobacco also has serious effects on the foetus and children. Secondhand smoking in a pregnant woman has the same damaging effects on the foetus as if she were actively smoking: higher risk of miscarriage, stunted foetus and low weight of baby at birth. In the same manner, exposure of the child to tobacco smoke leads to a higher rate of occurrence of otitis and nasopharyngitis, a higher bronchial asthma proneness and up to three times higher the risk of developing heart disease.
In Africa, in the year 2000, the prevalence of smoking was 29% among men and 7% among women, and there were 200 000 smoking-related deaths. Young people are increasingly affected as shown by the Global Youth Tobacco Survey conducted by WHO and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta : 44% of children aged 13 to 15 years are exposed to secondhand tobacco smoke at home and 56% in public places. The survey also shows a prevalence of secondhand smoking among students ranging from 20% in Tanzania to more than 50% in Algeria and Namibia. Unfortunately, the situation is worsening because the tobacco industry, which is avoiding strict regulations in developed countries, has redirected its activity to third world countries including ours.
The Region is facing an increasing burden of noncommunicable diseases, in particular cancer. Routine and coordinated actions are needed to spare the Region a real cancer « epidemic ». For us, tobacco control is therefore a public health priority; smoking can be avoided completely. It is time to act !
I have initiated a regional mobilization against cancer. A round table was organized during the last Regional Committee meeting for the purpose of eliciting discussion on cancer control. Very soon, at the Regional Committee which will be held in Yaounde, a regional strategy document will be submitted for approval by Member States to assist them to formulate national cancer control programmes.
The commemoration of the World Cancer Day affords me the opportunity to call on all Member States :
to generate regional solidarity in a multisectoral integrated approach whereby cancer control organizations, tobacco control organizations, public authorities and health institutions unit in a partnership and collaboration for a smoke-free environment and a reduction in cancer morbidity and mortality.
- to raise the awareness of the populations through various methods adapted to local realities in order to foster a change of lifestyles and behaviours with regard to risk factors of cancer and particularly tobacco smoke ;
- to actively promote a smoke-free environment for children because there is no secondhand exposure to tobacco smoke without risk ;
- to screen, diagnose and treat cancer in order to enable the populations of the Region to have the best chances of cure or, as appropriate, palliative care ;
- to strengthen the capacity of health personnel to prevent, reduce and stop tobacco use in homes and in public places;
Ladies and gentlemen,
Dear parents,
Nearly half of the world’s children, that is about 700 million, breathe air polluted with tobacco smoke, especially at home. Secondhand smoking is a danger to our health and that of our family. Our duty is to enable our children to grow in a smoke-free world. Today’s children are tomorrow’s world; they are asking us to give them a smoke-free start. Let us apply ourselves to this duty and we will win the battle against noncommunicable diseases, the battle against cancer. Thank you for your kind attention.