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Making Waves in 2011: WLF Speaks Out

Dr. Neil Schluger (right), WLF’s Chief Scientific Officer, interviewed by CNBC reporter Brian Shactman for Cigarette Wars.

Each Friday, WLF publishes “This Week in Global Health,” a list of interesting and important articles which you can catch by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or visiting our blog. With 2011 in our rearview, we thought we would review some of WLF’s more notable quotes. This year, WLF experts spoke out on some of the most pressing public health issues of the day, including tobacco control, the landmark UN Summit on NCDs, and more.

“There isn't a magic bullet to cure all forms of cancer, but we have the opportunity and the obligation to protect people from developing cancer wherever possible.” – Peter Baldini, Chief Executive Officer of WLF, advocating in Reuters for countries to raise tobacco taxes, a proven health intervention.

"China has a double whammy. Not only are foreign companies marketing tobacco aggressively, but [tobacco manufacturing is] a state industry at the heart of the government.” – Dr. Judith Mackay speaking to Fast Company about the role of government in China’s tobacco consumption.

"This is the first 'critical' report of China's efforts on tobacco control from within China itself. This speaks volumes of the strengthening of the health groups in China in countering the powerful Chinese national tobacco monopoly.” – WLF’s Dr. Judith Mackay speaking to Bloomberg BusinessWeek about a new report on anti-tobacco efforts in China.

“Countries that mandate large graphic pack warnings are not only fulfilling their legal obligations, they are taking a big step forward toward better informing smokers of the deadly harms of tobacco.” – Peter Baldini about the importance of graphic pack warnings, on Fox News, for World No Tobacco Day.

“In nearly 150 countries, including 110 low-income and middle-income countries, there is a paucity of any anti-tobacco public education via mass media. This absence is troubling, because tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death globally, and the overwhelming burden of tobacco-related deaths and diseases is shifting toward the world's poorest populations. In view of the aggressive marketing practices adopted by the tobacco industry in many poor countries, the need to counter industry propaganda is all the more urgent.” – Sandra Mullin, WLF Executive Vice President for Policy and Communications, writes in the Lancet about the dearth of anti-tobacco campaigns in many areas of the world.

“It’s unacceptable, for example, that supplies as simple and critical as gauze bandages, surgical gloves and masks are unavailable to assistant medical officers. This means that there is a breakdown somewhere between the government budgeting process and the field that is costing lives.” –  Dr Staffan Bergstrom, Project Director of WLF’s maternal health project in Tanzania, speaking to The Guardian.

“[Indoor cookstove fires] create levels of air pollution in homes that are astronomical, hundreds of times more than what you might breathe in New York, for example.” – In October, PBS interviewed WLF Chief Scientific Officer Neil Schluger in a PBS interview about the two millions lives lost annually to pollution from indoor cookstoves.

“There’s an allergy to accountability. There is no clear timeline about what’s going to happen and there is push back from the US and EU for having a comprehensive review in 2014.” – WLF’s Associate Director of Policy and Communications Jorge Alday on negotiations leading up to September’s UN Summit on Non-Communicable Diseases, in a British Medical Journal article entitled “Will Industry Influence Derail UN Summit.”

“It’s kind of like letting Dracula advise on blood bank security. There’s important expertise there, but you have to question the motive.” – Jorge Alday, speaking to Bloomberg BusinessWeek about industry’s role in determining policy at the U.N. High-Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Disease.

“This is a once in a generation opportunity. We could save millions of lives here, and it's shameful and immoral that industry lobbying has put short-term profits in front of a public health disaster.” – WLF’s Associate Director for Communications and Special Projects Rebecca Perl weighing in on industry influence leading up to the summit, in Reuters India.

“ [I’m] cautiously optimistic that the new tobacco legislation proposed by the Ministry of Health is a real and large step for tobacco control…[but] if they let the tobacco industry weigh in, that will be disastrous.” – Rebecca Perl, in The Lancet about tobacco control measures being taken in Russia.

You can also listen to two full interviews online: WLF’s Rebecca Perl talked to the BBC’s Claudia Hammond about the lack of commitment shown by countries in the run up to the crucial UN Summit on Non-Communicable Diseases, and Dr. Mackay spoke to WBEZ91.5 about how smoking is on the rise globally – and what that means for world health. Also, be sure to check out Neil Schluger speaking to CNBC in the excellent documentary Cigarette Wars, viewable online.