‘India is the oral cancer capital of the world’
Yasir Ashraf
Agence India Press
Srinagar: Jammu & Kashmir Voluntary Health Association (JKVHA) today urged people to take a pledge to join the Global fight against cancer to reduce premature deaths from this devastating disease.
This was stated in an awareness programme for NGO partners and volunteers conducted by J&K VHA in Srinagar to observe the World Cancer Day.
It was revealed that Cancer is a leading cause of deaths around the world. In India tobacco alone is responsible for 1.5 lakh cancers, 4.2million heart diseases and 3.7 million lung diseases every year.
In his address Senior Program Manager JKVHA, A K Wani said: “India is the oral cancer capital of the world because of rampant habit of Tobacco chewing. Over 65 percent of cancer in India is contributed to Tobacco related breast and cervical cancer.”
“Scientific evidences have established the fact that, not only oral cancer, Tobacco chewing can cause cancer of the organs like food pipe, throat, stomach, Kidney and lungs. Smokeless tobacco during pregnancy can cause still birth, low birth weight, premature delivery, anemia of mother and several complications during delivery,” he added.
The speakers’ also aware people about different health hazards of smoking and tobacco chewing.
“It can cause high blood pressure and other life threatening cardiovascular conditions like strokes. Poor dental hygiene and different types of dental diseases are also common among chewers,” they maintained.
They also provide figures of the earnings spent on treatment of tobacco related diseases. They told the gathering that India spends approximately Rs 300 billion annually on both public and private spending on treatment of Tobacco related diseases which accounts roughly one-fourth of all health spending. According to Global Adult Tobacco survey (GATS) conducted in 2009-2010, out of 274.9 million estimated numbers Tobacco users in India, 163.7 million Indians use chewing tobacco. Regarding J&K State it has been revealed that it has 67 percent passive smokers, which is highest in the north region.
“Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, Ministry of Health GOI, has now notified the Food Safety and Standards Regulation 2011 which among other things has imposed Prohibition and Restriction on Sale of Food Products having Tobacco and Nicotine as its ingredients,” Dr A A Tahir said in his speech here.
Among others who attended the meeting including Balbir Singh, District Coordinator Axshya Project, JKVHA and its partner NGOs and Volunteers. (AIP News)
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