South Africa needs to step up its efforts to make the country 100 percent tobacco free by 2010, says the Cancer Association of South Africa (Cansa) in a statement on 16 March, after attending a world conference on tobacco control.

Tobacco-free means no use of tobacco in any public place, including sports stadiums. "The tobacco epidemic is threatening world health, especially in developing countries where the tobacco industry is aggressively marketing its deadly products in order to find new customers," says Cansa Head of Communication Martha Molete, who attended the 14th World Conference on Tobacco or Health in Mumbai, India from 8-12 March 2009.

42 000 in SA die per year

In India alone, one million people die every year from tobacco-related diseases. Over 42 000 South Africans die from tobacco-related diseases annually and many more are made sick from tobacco products and second-hand smoke. Globally tobacco kills 5.2 million people per year.

"South Africa is a leader in tobacco control in Africa and has made important strides with our new anti-tobacco legislation to come into effect soon," Molete says.

"However, we have a lot more work to do in order to make sports stadiums and other public areas 100 percent tobacco-free and to help the over five million South African smokers quit this deadly addiction."

Almost 2000 tobacco control advocates from around the world attended the Mumbai conference. The 14th World Conference on Tobacco or Health recognised that:

• All tobacco products are harmful and create an economic burden especially in low-income countries.
• The global tobacco control community needs to increase efforts to combat this epidemic.
• The tobacco industry markets all forms of tobacco products and continues to develop new tobacco products.
• The tobacco industry obstructs effective tobacco control measures and continues to promote tobacco products through all possible means, including the entertainment industry.

The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) is an effective tool for tobacco control adopted by 84 percent of countries in the world.