World No Tobacco Day - May 31, 2007

World No Tobacco Day is sponsored annually by the World Health Organization to call attention to the global health burden resulting from tobacco use. This year's observance focuses on secondhand smoke and highlights the progress that has been achieved around the world in protecting nonsmokers by making workplaces and public spaces smoke-free.

This year, the World Health Organization (WHO) is encouraging health professionals to provide their patients information about the health consequences of smoking, help their smoking patients quit, and be role models who promote tobacco-free lifestyles.

Tobacco use is one of the chief preventable causes of death in the world. WHO attributes about 5 million deaths a year to tobacco use, a figure expected to rise to about 10 million deaths a year by 2020, with 7 million of these deaths occurring in developing countries.