No smoking - No 1 weapon
2008-08-29 11:20
Geneva - The head of the World Health Organisation says anti-smoking campaigns are the world's best weapon in the fight against cancer.
WHO chief Margaret Chan says "tobacco control" efforts such as advertising bans, higher cigarette taxes and help for people wanting to quit would reduce cancer cases.
Chan says prevention measures are the most cost-effective way to limit the impact of the disease that kills almost 8 million people worldwide each year.
One example is China, where about 3 000 people, or 1.1 million a year, die every day due to smoking.
Chan says cancer treatment is beyond the means of many of the world's poor. She spoke on Wednesday at the start of an international meeting of 2 500 cancer experts in Geneva.
- AP