Interagency Committee on Smoking and Health
Meeting Summary: April 13, 2005
Global Tobacco Epidemic
Welcome and Introductory Remarks
Welcome
Dana Shelton, Associate Director for Policy, CDC's Office on Smoking and Health, and
Executive Secretary for the Interagency Committee on Smoking and Health (ICSH)
Dana Shelton, Associate Director for Policy in the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health (OSH)
and Executive Secretary for the ICSH welcomed participants and announced that Surgeon General
Richard Carmona had been called away to another meeting but would arrive later in the day. In
his place, Rear Admiral Robert Williams was introduced to deliver introductory remarks.
Introductory Remarks
Rear Admiral Robert Williams, Chief of Staff, Office of the Surgeon General, U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services
Admiral Williams began by welcoming and thanking the international visitors for their
participation in the meeting. He continued by describing the toll of tobacco–related deaths
internationally. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), tobacco–related diseases
will kill more than 10 million people annually by 2030 and that seven million of these deaths
will occur in developing countries. The burden is not evenly distributed across the globe
however, with differences found among countries and regions as well as among specific population
groups. Differences also exist in the capacity and infrastructure of countries to address tobacco
prevention and control and in peoples' access to prevention and treatment resources. Partnerships
that cross borders, regions and across the globe are critical in effectively addressing this problem.
Admiral Williams continued by describing the ongoing challenge in tobacco control to help people
better understand what our strong and growing body of scientific evidence is telling us and how to
put evidence–based approaches into practice. Not only is the U.S. committed to continuing to build
the knowledge base, but also to share this scientific information and communicate proven methods of
reducing tobacco use. Furthermore, the U.S. will continue to support efforts to implement effective
and sustainable programs through bilateral or multilateral partnerships with health ministries and
international agencies throughout the world.
A major focus of U.S global tobacco control efforts is to expand its leadership role in surveillance
and in translating data into action. Admiral Williams briefly described the National Institutes of Health's
(NIH) efforts in this area through the Fogarty International Center (FIC) as well as the CDC's OSH
partnership with the WHO to implement the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS). (Both of these efforts
are discussed in greater detail later in the day's agenda.)
Admiral Williams talked about the great progress achieved in the U.S. over the past 40 years in
bringing down rates of smoking among youth and adults and credited much of this success to a comprehensive
approach to tobacco control and prevention efforts that includes community programs, media and
countermarketing efforts, education about the risks of tobacco use, and research and policy
interventions. He also mentioned the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) which went into
effect on February 27, 2005 and how important it is that we make the most of the opportunities that
implementation of the FCTC will bring.
Admiral Williams closed his remarks by giving a charge to the Interagency Committee on Smoking and Health:
- Raise the visibility of the global tobacco epidemic
- Learn what is currently being done to reduce its effects
- Discuss opportunities to foster further collaboration
- Determine next steps toward the future of global tobacco control
Following Admiral Williams' remarks, Committee members and speakers were asked to introduce
themselves. (See attached list of ICSH members and representatives.)
Dr. Samira Asma, Associate Director, Global Tobacco Control Unit, OSH, CDC, introduced Dr.
Mauricio Hernandez–Avila, the Executive Director of the National Institutes of Public Health in
Mexico, to provide some brief introductory comments and welcome several fellow presenters.
Mauricio Hernandez–Avila, MD., DSc., General Director, Instituto Nacional De Salud Publica, Mexico
Dr. Hernandez–Avila offered brief introductory remarks describing the scope of the tobacco use
problem in poor and middle–income countries where tobacco control is not "on the agenda." Tobacco
control in most of these countries is under–funded and the non–governmental sector is not well
organized around the issue. Dr. Hernandez–Avila shared with the Committee that despite these poor
odds, Mexico was the first country to ratify the FCTC.
Following Dr. Hernandez–Avila's opening remarks, Rear Admiral Robert Williams introduced the first speaker.
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