The Indian Medical Education (IMA) urged the Union government to make ill-effects of tobacco consumption, in the school curriculum so that awareness can generated at young age.

'Anti-tobacco movement must become a people's movement to ensure that tobacco is erased from the face of the earth,' said IMA Secretary General Dr Dharam Prakash at a press conference here this evening.

'Tobacco consumption starts from the age group of 15 to 18 years among students. There is a need to make these kids realise that the end product of tobacco consumption is death. It is only a habit which can be kicked once and for all with little effort.”'Dr Prakash suggested that the ill-effects of tobacco consumption, especially smoking, should become part of the high school curriculum so that awareness is generated at a young age.

He informed that in India, tobacco causes 8,00,000 deaths, 1,5 lakh cancers and 4.2 million heart diseases every year. ‘'Policy makers must stop adopting double standards, launch crash programmes to create awareness about the ill effects of consumption of tobacco products through community services and print and electronic media,' Dr Prakash said.

The IMA Secretary General said,'Women must ensure that their menfolk do not smoke inside their homes as it jeopardises the health of other members also.' He said the health effects of tobacco are the circumstances, mechanisms, and factors of tobacco consumption on human health.

According to a 2000 survey, smoking was practiced by some 1.22 billion people, of which men were more likely to smoke than women.

Smoking more than 20 cigarettes a day increases the risk of tuberculosis by two to four times, and being a current smoker has been linked to a fourfold increase in the risk of invasive pneumococcal disease. It is believed that smoking increases the risk of these and other pulmonary and respiratory tract infections both through structural damage and through effects on the immune system.

The effects on the immune system include an increase in CD4+ cell production attributable to nicotine, which has tentatively been linked to increased HIV susceptibility. The usage of tobacco also increases rates of infection: common cold and bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema and chronic bronchitis in particular.

Delhi Mayor Kanwar Sain, who was also present at the conference, said India is the third largest producer and consumer of tobacco.

Health hazards of tobacco are well know. In India, 142 million men and 72 million women above the age of 15 years are tobacco consumers.

According to WHO country profiles, India has one of the highest rates of oral cancer in the world and rate are ever escalating. This disproportionate incidence of oral cancer has been related to the high consumption proportion of tobacco chewers, he noted.

Meanwhile, to commemorate the No Tobacco Day tomorrow, the IMA in collaboration with the WHO and MCD, will organize an anti-tobacco rally from Rajghat to the IMA Hall, ITO.

A large number of children , students, NGOs, medical professional, media personalities and opinion makers would take part in the rally.