WHO to conduct tobacco cost-benefit analysis

A team of 20 WHO researchers will conduct a study in Uganda to determine the country’s earnings from the tobacco industry and costs incurred from treating people with tobacco-related illnesses, reports Monitor.

According to the Uganda Demographic Health Survey 2011, about 15 percent of males and 3 percent of females aged 15-49 use tobacco products. Statistics show that tobacco-related illnesses claim about 13,500 lives in Uganda annually. The government raises UGX80 billion ($30.9 million) per year in tax revenue from tobacco companies.