Regional Committee continues discussions on strategic health priorities

7 October 2015 The 62nd session of the Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean continued its discussions yesterday in Kuwait on regional and global strategic health priorities. The day's sessions focused on implementation of the United Nations General Assembly Political Declaration on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases with a focus on tobacco use in the Region; global health security with a special emphasis on Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and avian influenza A(H5N1); implementation of the International Health Regulations (2005); and emergency preparedness and response to address ongoing and protracted crises in the Region. In terms of noncommunicable diseases, WHO highlighted work in promoting physical activity and the importance of healthy diets, reducing salt and trans-fats in food, and implementing the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes. A recent WHO initiative aims to prevent the unopposed marketing of unhealthy food and beverages to children. Tobacco control efforts were also discussed. With the growth in the world's population, the number of smokers is expected to increase along with the number of those killed by tobacco-related diseases. The Eastern Mediterranean Region is expected to see the biggest increase in tobacco use among all WHO regions. Raising tobacco taxes is one of the most effective tobacco control measures. Tobacco taxes in the Region are among the lowest in the world with r...
Source: WHO EMRO News - Category: Middle East Health Source Type: news