1.3 Million People die from second-hand smoke each year – WHO

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has revealed that approximately 1.3 million people die annually from exposure to secondhand smoke, highlighting the urgent need for stronger global tobacco control efforts. This statistic was part of the newly released WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic 2025, launched at the World Conference on Tobacco Control in Dublin. The report warns that while progress has been made, rising interference from the tobacco industry continues to threaten public health policies and enforcement. Currently, 79 countries have implemented comprehensive smoke-free laws. The report focuses on the six key MPOWER strategies developed by WHO in 2007 to help countries reduce tobacco use, which still claims over seven million lives each year.The MPOWER measures include:Monitoring tobacco use and prevention policiesProtecting people from tobacco smoke through legislationOffering help to quit tobacco useWarning about the dangers through packaging and mass mediaEnforcing bans on advertising and promotionRaising taxes on tobacco productsSince MPOWER’s launch, 155 countries have implemented at least one of these measures at the highest recommended level. In 2007, only 1 billion people were covered by any of the policies. Today, over 6.1 billion peoplearound 75% of the global populationare protected by at least one.Four countries namely Brazil, Mauritius, the Netherlands, and Trkiyehave fully implemented all six MPOWER components. Seven others, including Ethiopia, Ireland, Jordan, Mexico, New Zealand, Slovenia, and Spain, are just one step away from achieving full implementation.WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized the need for governments to remain vigilant:Twenty years since the adoption of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, we have many successes to celebrate. But the tobacco industry continues to evolveand so must we. Together, we can create a world where tobacco no longer steals lives, damages economies, or threatens future generations.The report, developed with support from Bloomberg Philanthropies, was launched during the 2025 Bloomberg Awards for Global Tobacco Control, recognising government and non-government efforts worldwide.Michael Bloomberg, WHO Global Ambassador for Non-communicable Diseases, reiterated his support: Since we began supporting global tobacco control in 2007, countries have made significant progressbut the work is far from done. Bloomberg Philanthropies is committed to saving millions more lives alongside WHO. The post 1.3 Million People die from second-hand smoke each year WHO appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.