What<\/strong>: \u00a0 Leading experts in tobacco control and cardiovascular disease launch the Tobacco Roadmap at the World Congress of Tobacco or Health 2015 (WCTOH)<\/p>\n When:<\/strong> Thursday 19th<\/sup> March<\/p>\n Time:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 12.30 \u2013 13.55 (Gulf Standard Time)<\/p>\n Where:<\/strong> WCTOH, Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Centre, Abu Dhabi, UAE<\/p>\n World Heart Federation launches Roadmap for reducing premature cardiovascular disease (CVD) deaths through tobacco reduction<\/strong><\/p>\n Tobacco use, which is completely avoidable, kills 6 million people a year. As one of the leading risk factors for cardiovascular disease, it accounts for almost 10 per cent of cardiovascular mortality. In conjunction with leading cardiovascular and health organisations, the World Heart Federation is launching the CVD Roadmap on tobacco control<\/em> at the World Conference on Tobacco or Health in Abu Dhabi.<\/p>\n The CVD roadmap on tobacco control<\/em>, which accompanies similar tools on raised blood pressure and the treatment of heart disease and stroke, points to the policies that protect people from death and disability from cardiovascular disease. \u201cEveryone benefits from tobacco control law, though it can be argued that people with cardiovascular disease are the ones who benefit most from its life-saving protection. \u00a0It is one of the surest, simplest and cheapest ways to protect people with heart disease from having heart attacks and stroke. Anyone who cares about heart health\u2026his own, or that of others\u2026 has a very strong stake in tobacco control\u201d, said Johanna Ralston, Chief Executive Officer of the World Heart Federation.<\/p>\n The CVD Roadmap on tobacco control <\/em>is based on the global tobacco control treaty, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). Through the treaty, most of the countries in the world are already legally bound to enact and enforce a package of policies that protect people from death and illness caused by tobacco. These include raising tobacco taxes, enforcing bans on smoking in public and tobacco advertising, warning the public of the dangers of tobacco, and providing support for quitting.<\/p>\n The CVD roadmap on tobacco<\/em> is designed to mobilize all those who have a stake in improving heart health or reducing the economic losses caused by cardiovascular disease: governments, businesses, health workers and advocates and all those affected by heart disease.\u00a0 It indicates clear routes of action for reducing death and disability from heart disease caused by tobacco, and calls upon different groups to coordinate action to accelerate implementation of tobacco control policy.<\/p>\n \u201cIf governments do not speed up their work to meet these commitments, we cannot possibly control the growing epidemic of cardiovascular disease.\u00a0 At the current rate, by 2030, tobacco will claim 8 million lives a year,\u201d explains Johanna Ralston. \u201cWe must act now to stop it.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n