IDA to organise anti-tobacco rally in city today

The West Bengal chapter of the Indian Dental Association (IDA) will organise 'Walkathon', an awareness campaign on the hazards of consuming tobacco on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day on Tuesday.

The rally will start from Dr R Ahmed Dental College at Moulali at around 3.30 pm and will end at Esplanade. The main purpose behind the event is to make people aware about the ill effects of consuming various tobacco products. The organisers took a pledge to carry out a sustainable programme against tobacco consumption and spread awareness against it.

The rally will focus on the rising trend of oral cancer caused by the consumption of tobacco in its various forms. It may be mentioned here that IDA, West Bengal chapter often organises awareness campaigns including regular health check-up camps. The tobacco epidemic is one of the major threats to public health. The West Bengal chapter of the IDA relentlessly organises various awareness programmes to check the use of tobacco products.

In India alone, the tobacco epidemic causes around 10 lakh deaths every year. According to a study, around 36.3 percent of the population of West Bengal uses tobacco in some form or the other and are, therefore, susceptible to the hazards of the same. People from Bengal are also vulnerable to tobacco hazards as many of them take tobacco in various forms like gutkha, khaini and others. Statistics show that every cigarette smoked would reduce one's life span by 11 minutes.

Biman Bandopadhay, the Speaker of West Bengal Legislative Assembly, is expected to attend the programme along with Chandrima Bhattacharya, the minister of state for Health, Nirmal Majhi, the president of the West Bengal Medical Council, Sovondeb Chattopadhyay, state Power minister and others.