"Mayors' role is also critical to address and prevent any pandemic through One Health approach," emphasized Dr Tara Singh Bam.
According to the latest WHO Global TB Report, undernourishment was the biggest risk factor for people getting sick with TB in Bangladesh in 2021, followed by tobacco use as the second biggest risk factor. Other risk factors included diabetes, alcohol and HIV.
Bangladesh aims to be tobacco-free by 2040
Bangladesh's Prime Minister has promised to make the country tobacco-free by 2040, said SM Sirajul Haque, Mayor of Tangail in Bangladesh. He said that we cannot create a smart Bangladesh unless children and adults alike make smart decisions that are good for them and for the country. If people use tobacco then they will be unhealthy and also cause havoc on their family. Staying away from tobacco use is vital. That is why he is encouraging those who use tobacco in his Tangail region to quit tobacco use by benefitting from tobacco-cessation services. Tobacco retail is not allowed within 100 metres of educational institutions and to those who are under 18 years of age, he added.
Tobacco use in Bangladesh has reduced in the past 20 years as per the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Health Data Observatory. From 57.6% in 2000, tobacco use has come down to 34.7% in 2020. However, tobacco consumption in Cox's Bazar was found to be higher than the national average at 43.4%.
Tobacco use is a major public health challenge in Bangladesh, with high rates of both smoking and smokeless tobacco use. Smokeless tobacco use is particularly prevalent in Bangladesh, with over 20 million people using various forms of smokeless tobacco, like jarda and gul. Tobacco consumption in Bangladesh has significant health consequences, as it is a leading cause of NCDs such as cancers, cardiovascular diseases (heart diseases and stroke), and chronic respiratory diseases. Additionally, tobacco use has significant economic costs, both in terms of direct healthcare costs and lost productivity.
Bangladesh is the 3rd biggest tobacco growing country in the southeast Asia region of the WHO (after India and Indonesia). Land under tobacco cultivation had seen a substantial rise in Bangladesh during 2008 and 2015, but now dedicated efforts of the Bangladesh government have led to success in farmers choosing not to grow tobacco, but rather opt for cultivating other crops. Bangladesh has ratified the global tobacco treaty (formally called the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control or FCTC), Article 17 of which calls upon governments to promote economically viable alternatives for tobacco workers, growers and individual sellers.
According to the WHO, farmers in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Indonesia are gradually taking to alternate crops that are equally or more profitable. One of the reasons for farmers giving up tobacco cultivation is the high input costs and declining domestic and international demand.
Tobacco Cultivation Control Policy of Bangladesh, 2017, has set targets to reduce tobacco cultivation at all stages by 2040. In early 2020, Bangladesh Bank notified all its branches not to sanction loans for tobacco farming - both contractual or direct. It is also increasing credit flow to farmers switching to alternative crops.
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