To counter that effect, packets should show shocking photos of lung tumours, blood clots in the brain and decaying gums.
Experience from around the world shows that pictorial warnings motivate users to quit and discourage people, particularly the young ones, from starting.
Tobacco is the world's leading preventable cause of death and the only product that kills when used exactly as the manufacturer intends.
Worldwide, more than 5 million people die from tobacco each year — more than from HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined.
In Viet Nam, tobacco use is responsible for 5 deaths every hour. That is 40,000 deaths each year, four times the number of people that die on the country’s roads each year.
“Studies reveal that even among people who believe tobacco is harmful, few understand its many specific health risks”, said Dr. Jean-Marc Olivé, WHO Representative in Viet Nam.
“Despite this, health warnings on tobacco packages in Viet Nam do not provide enough information to warn consumers of the risks,” said Dr. Olivé said.
Pictorial health warnings on tobacco packages are a simple, cheap and effective strategy that can vastly reduce tobacco use and save lives.
In Viet Nam studies show that application of large pictorial health warnings could help save about 500 lives a year by 2023 and 750 lives a year by 2033.
It is time for all countries to act to save lives. Background:
Viet Nam is one of 164 countries that have ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, making it one of the most widely embraced treaties in UN history.
The treaty commits its Parties to requiring that tobacco products "carry health warnings describing the harmful effects of tobacco use". Its best practice guidelines stipulate that warnings should be large and clear, appear on both sides of tobacco packages and include pictures.
WHO provides technical assistance to countries to establish and strengthen their national tobacco control programmes.
For more information, please contact
World Health Organization (WHO)
63 Tran Hung Dao Street, Ha Noi, Viet Nam
Tel: (84-4) 3 943 3734
Fax: (84-4) 3 943 3740
Mobile: (84) 0915 413814
Email: media.vtn@wpro.who.int