Santosh Jadhav
Tobacco is the single most important avoidable cause of premature morbidity and mortality in the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that there are about 1100 million smokers worldwide, which represents about one-third of the global population aged over 15 years. About 73% of smokers are in developing countries, and in industrialized countries there are about 200 million male smokers and 100 million female smokers. In the 15-year-old population of developing countries, it is estimated that about 48% of males and 7% of females are smokers. In India, tobacco consumption is responsible for half of all the cancers in men and one fourth of all cancers in women.2 India also has one of the highest rates of oral cancer in the world, partly attributed to the high prevalence of tobacco chewing.
