GENEVA, 20th July, 2017 (WAM) -- The latest World Health Organisation, WHO, report on the global tobacco epidemic published, Thursday, finds that more countries have implemented tobacco control policies, ranging from graphic pack warnings and advertising bans to no-smoking areas.

About 4.7 billion people 63 percent of the worlds population - are covered by at least one comprehensive tobacco control measure, which has quadrupled since 2007 when only 1 billion people and 15 percent of the worlds population, were covered.

Strategies to implement such policies have saved millions of people from an early death.

However, the tobacco industry continues to hamper government efforts to fully implement life-and cost-saving interventions, according to the new WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic, 2017.

"Governments around the world must waste no time in incorporating all the provisions of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control into their national tobacco control programmes and policies," says Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. "They must also clamp down on the illicit tobacco trade, which is exacerbating the global tobacco epidemic and its related health and socio economic consequences." Dr. Tedros adds, "Working together, countries can prevent millions of people from dying each year from preventable tobacco-related illness, and save billions of dollars a year in avoidable health-care expenditures and productivity losses."Today, 4.7 billion people are protected by at least one "best practice" tobacco control measure from the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, WHO FCTC, 3.6 billion more than in 2007, according to the report. This progress has been made possible because governments have intensified action to implement key measures of the WHO FCTC.

Strategies to support implementation of tobacco demand reduction measures in the WHO FCTC, like the "MPOWER" measures, have saved millions of people from an early death, as well as hundreds of billions of dollars in the past decade. MPOWER was established in 2008 to promote government action on six tobacco control strategies in line with the WHO FCTC to Monitor tobacco use and prevention policies; protect people from tobacco smoke; offer help to quit tobacco use; warn people about the dangers of tobacco; enforce bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship; and raise taxes on tobacco.

"One in ten deaths around the world is caused by tobacco, but we can change that through MPOWER tobacco control measures, which have proven highly effective," says Michael R. Bloomberg, WHO Global Ambassador for Non communicable Diseases and founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies. "The progress thats been made worldwide, and documented throughout this report, shows that it is possible for countries to turn the tide. Bloomberg Philanthropies looks forward to working with Director-General Ghebreyesus and continuing our work with the WHO."

Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2017.