World No Tobacco Day. Cancer Prevention

From November 15 to November 26 in the Documents of International Organizations reading room (room 207g) the thematic exhibition "World No Tobacco Day. Cancer Prevention", dedicated to the World No Tobacco Day.

This Day was established by the American Cancer in 1977 and is celebrated annually in most countries of the world on the third Thursday of November.

The Republican anti-tobacco informational and educational action, initiated by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus and dedicated to this Day, takes place in our country from 12 to 15 November 2018.

The World No Tobacco Day is supported by the World Health Organization (WHO), which adopted the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2003. It was joined by 180 countries, including the Republic of Belarus. The six convention strategies suggested the main steps that states should take to combat tobacco smoking. This is a prohibition of direct and indirect tobacco advertising; increased tobacco taxes and prices; creating an environment free of tobacco smoke in all public and work premises; placing large and clear graphic health warnings on tobacco packaging; organization of assistance to those who want to abandon this bad habit.

At the initiative of WHO, another date is devoted to the issue of smoking and its negative consequences - World No Tobacco Day, celebrated annually around the world on May 31.

The purpose of the World No Tobacco Day is to prevent diseases caused by tobacco smoking, to increase public awareness of the harmful effects of tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke, to build loyalty among civil society to measures aimed at protecting the population from the effects of tobacco consumption.

According to the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), 30% of all cancer deaths are due to smoking today. Therefore, this year, the World No Tobacco Day is dedicated primarily to the prevention of cancer. Reducing tobacco consumption by even half will save 170 million lives by 2050.

Tobacco use is considered the most significant preventable cause of death, and now, according to WHO, the death of every tenth adult in the world.

Smokers lose about 18 years of potential life, that represents a huge social loss to society. Tobacco smoke causes and aggravates many diseases, affecting virtually all organs. Products of tobacco origin, along with other carcinogenic substances are the main cause of cancer. Smoking provokes the development of 18 forms of cancer in humans: lung, esophagus, larynx and oral cavity, pancreas, stomach, breast, etc. In addition to the high risk of various forms of malignant neoplasms, continued smoking adversely affects the conduct of special treatment when these diseases occur. It has been established that in comparison with non-smoker's, the smoking patient’ life expectancy is reduced, the risk of recurrence or the occurrence of a second tumor increases, the effectiveness of treatment and the quality of life decreases. Cessation of smoking guarantees a reduction in diseases incidence.

Currently, active work is carried out in our country within the framework of the European Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases. The goal is to reduce the impact of all major risk factors for noncommunicable diseases, one of which is smoking and the prevalence of tobacco use among people aged 18 to 69 years to 24.5%. This goal can be achieved by implementing a set of measures based on international experience and WHO recommendations.

The exhibition represents more than 50 documents: books, brochures, periodicals, booklets. The exposition includes the following thematic sections:

• Healthy lifestyle: prevention of tobacco addiction;
• Smoking and its health effects;
• Life without tobacco: how to give up smoking.
  

The exhibition will be useful to health professionals, medical and social workers, educators, university students, as well as anyone concerned about tobacco addiction and healthy lifestyle issues.

The opening hours of the exhibition corresponds to the library’s opening hours.
Entrance to the exhibition is available by the library ticket or ticket of the library's social and cultural center.

For more info: (+375 17) 293 27 34

Useful links:

International No Smoking Day (Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus)
World No Tobacco Day 2018
Key facts about Tobacco
Tobacco Free Initiative
WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
Implementing tobacco control
WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic, 2013