Tobacco is the single most preventable cause of death in the world. It is the only legal consumer product that can harm everyone exposed to it - and it kills up to half of those who use it as intended, with its victims dying on average 15 years prematurely.

This year, tobacco will kill more than five million people - more than tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and malaria combined.

World No Tobacco Day is celebrated around the world every year on 31 May. This yearly celebration informs the public on the dangers of using tobacco, the marketing practices of tobacco companies, and what the World Health Organization is doing to combat the tobacco epidemic. This special day is also an opportunity for all of us, (policy-makers, non-governmental organizations, young people, and the public) to advocate for a tobacco-free world and help reverse the course of this entirely preventable epidemic.

For more information about World No Tobacco Day 2008 visit our website at http://www.who.int/tobacco/wntd/2008/en/index.html.