The
World Health Organization(WHO) warned in a new report Thursday that the "
tobacco
epidemic" is growing and could claim one billion lives by the end of the century unless governments dramatically step up efforts to curb smoking.
In its first comprehensive report on tobacco use in 179 countries, the United Nations health agency said, governments around the world collect more than $200 billion in tobacco taxes every year but spend less than one-fifth of one percent of that revenue on tobacco control, it said.
The
WHO Report on the Global Tobacco
epidemic 2008 calls on all countries to dramatically increase efforts to prevent young people from beginning to smoke, help
smokers quit and protect nonsmokers from exposure to second hand smoke.
According to the report, nearly two-thirds of the world''''s smokers live in 10 countries: China, which accounts for nearly 30 percent, India with about 10 percent, Indonesia, Russia, teh United States, Japan, Brazil, bangladesh, Germany and Turkey.
It forecast that more than 80 percent of tobacco-related deaths will be in low and middle income countries.