Of WHO’s 192 member states, 118 — including the United States — have already signed the accord

Lee Jong-wook, director-general of the World Health Organization, challenged “everyone to think of how we can help to break the vicious circle of the poor consuming tobacco more, and tobacco consumption increasing poverty.”

Despite a WHO campaign, tobacco consumption is still rising, “mostly in developing countries, adding significantly to their burden of disease and poverty,” Lee said. “The world cannot accept such easily preventable human and economic losses.”

Many governments organize events every May 31 to commemorate World No Tobacco Day and spotlight the fight against smoking-related illnesses. No events are planned at the WHO’s Geneva headquarters this year because Monday is a Swiss national holiday and U.N. offices here will be closed.

Tobacco use kills 4.9 million people annually, and that figure is expected to double in the next 20 years.

This week, the U.S. Surgeon General expanded the list of diseases linked to smoking to include acute myeloid leukemia, cancers of the cervix, kidney, pancreas and stomach, abdominal aortic aneurysms, cataracts, periodontitis and pneumonia.

WHO studies have long found that poorer people tend to smoke more in both developing and developed countries. They spend a higher proportion of their household income on tobacco products, often ahead of other basic needs such as food, health care and education.

“Consumption is inversely related to the socio-economic level — it goes up as the standard of living goes down,” Lee noted.

The number of tobacco users is increasing and is expected to hit 1.7 billion in 2025, up from the current 1.3 billion.

Smoking is particularly widespread in developing countries, where 84 percent of smokers live. It places a huge burden on health services in countries which can ill-afford the extra cost.

In Egypt, WHO said, the annual cost of treating tobacco related diseases is estimated at $546 million.

WHO said tobacco can also damage countries’ economies because of increased health care costs; loss of foreign exchange, as most countries are net tobacco importers; loss of tax revenue due to smuggling; and damage to the environment from tobacco cultivation.

Even tobacco farmers — particularly those in developing countries — are not benefiting from tobacco sales.

“A big part of the health and economic costs related to tobacco are endured by small farmers and their families that grow the tobacco crop,” said Catherine le Gales-Camus, the WHO noncommunicable diseases chief.

Lee urged more countries to sign up to WHO’s landmark anti-tobacco treaty, which aims to reduce the damage tobacco does to health and economies. WHO brokered the treaty in May 2003 after years of negotiations.

Of WHO’s 192 member states, 118 — including the United States — have already signed the accord. Sixteen have ratified it, although U.S. lawmakers have not yet done so.

“Once the convention comes into force — 90 days after its 40th ratification — it will become a powerful means of controlling this entirely unnecessary threat to health and welfare,” Lee added. “Countries should lose no time in signing and ratifying the convention.”

Countries have until June 29 to sign the treaty, which also sets out provisions and minimum standards signatories will have to respect in their tobacco control programs.

The Surgeon General’s report said current evidence is not conclusive enough to say smoking causes colorectal cancer, liver cancer, prostate cancer or erectile disfunction. Some research has associated those diseases with smoking, but Carmona said more proof is needed.

The evidence suggests smoking may not cause breast cancer in women but that some women, depending on genetics, may increase their risk of getting it by smoking, the report said.

Diseases previously linked to smoking include cancer of the bladder, esophagus, larynx, lung and mouth. Also tied to smoking was chronic lung disease, chronic heart and cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, peptic ulcers and reproductive problems.

According to the most recent available U.S. statistics, 카지노사이트 Americans consumed more than 2,500 cigarettes per adult in 1995 — the equivalent of 125 packs each, or more than two packs a week per person.

About 440,000 Americans die of smoking-related diseases each year. The report said more than 12 million people have died from smoking-related diseases in the 40 years since the first surgeon general’s report on smoking and health was released in 1964.

“We’ve known for decades that smoking is bad for your health, but this report shows that it’s even worse,” said Surgeon General Richard Carmona, announcing his first official assessment of the effects of tobacco.