The Queen of Spain, Letizia Ortiz, chairs the opening ceremony of the 7th ECTOH

The 7th European Conference on Tobacco or Health (ECTOH) takes place in Porto, from March 22nd to 25th 2017.

The ECTOH is organised by the Portuguese League Against Cancer (LPCC) under the auspices of the Association of European Cancer Leagues (ECL) and the high patronage of His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Portugal.

Four months after her last official visit, the Queen of Spain is back in Porto, where she will attend the opening session of the seventh edition of the Conference on Tobacco.

The opening session was also attended by the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, the European Commissioner for Health and Safety, Vytenis Andriukaitis, the Minister of Health of Portugal, Adalberto Campos Fernandes, and the Mayor of Porto, Rui Moreira.

The Queen of Spain, who attended the conference as Honorary President of the Spanish Association Against Cancer, thanked the invitation and stressed the importance of these events to boost the social and political wills to work harder in the fight against this scourge, which annually kills more than six million people worldwide.

Tobacco use kills around five million people annually worldwide, estimating to be responsible for over 20 percent of all deaths of adult men and 5 percent of deaths of adult women. 

In the 21st century, epidemiology of smoking-related diseases is expected to kill approximately one billion people, mostly in low- and middle-income countries.

The conference, which brings together 500 participants from more than 40 countries in the world is an opportunity to joining specialised professionals who struggle to improve health through tobacco regulations in Europe and worldwide and help prevent tens of millions of premature deaths over the next few decades.

The Portuguese Minister of Health stated that tobacco control remains "our top priority."

At the end of the opening session of the conference, the Queen of Spain recalled that "according to the WHO, tobacco is the only legally available product that can kill up to one half of its regular users."

The Queen also added that "many conferences, such as this one, help the driving force of the political and social will power to keep working with a renewed determination and strength until all the tobacco users come to the conclusion that quitting will improve their health and prolong their life with better plenitude and quality."  

According to data from the World Health Organization, tobacco is currently responsible for more deaths than AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined and tobacco costs account for about six percent of the world's health spending.

The Conference programme, which runs until Saturday in the large auditorium of the Sheraton Porto Hotel, covers multiple issues related to tobacco control in its various aspects, namely projects developed at European and world level, regarding prevention and the exchange of best practices.

Program and more information at www.ectoh.com.