Over 3 million deaths due to excessive drinking in 2016, says WHO
Geneva : Drinking too much alcohol killed more than 3 million people in 2016, mostly men, the World Health Organization said. The UN health agency also warned that current policy responses are not sufficient to reverse trends predicting an increase in consumption over the next 10 years.
In a new report Friday, the WHO said that about 237 million men and 46 million women faced alcohol problems, with the highest prevalence in Europe and the Americas. Europe has the highest global per capita alcohol consumption, even though it has already dropped by 10 percent since 2010.
Around a third of alcohol-related deaths were a result of injuries, including car crashes and self-harm, while about one in five were due to either digestive disorders or cardiovascular diseases. Cancers, infectious diseases, mental disorders and other health conditions were also to blame.
“Far too many people, their families and communities suffer the consequences of the harmful use of alcohol through violence, injuries, mental health problems and diseases like cancer and stroke,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of WHO. “It’s time to step up action to prevent this serious threat to the development of healthy societies.”
The average daily consumption of alcohol by people who consume it is about two glasses of wine, a large bottle of beer or two shots of spirits. Globally, about 2.3 billion people are current drinkers.
The report, the third in a series after ones in 2010 and 2014, relies on information from 2016 — the latest data available. WHO said the trends and projections point to an expected increase in global alcohol per capita consumption over the next decade, particularly in Southeast Asia and the Americas.
“The policy responses which are currently in place in countries are definitely not sufficient to reverse the trends, which we observe in several parts of the world, or to improve significantly this situation,” Dr. Vladimir Poznyak, coordinator of WHO’s management of substance abuse unit, told reporters.
“When we look at the trends of alcohol consumption in many countries from 2000, you can see ups and downs — which are determined by different factors,” said Poznyak, citing countries’ levels of social development, economic backdrops, policy measures and cultural trends.
He said the data showed, for example, that alcohol consumption tends to drop in countries facing economic crisis.
Poznyak said it was “imperative for the governments to put in place measures that can mitigate the harms associated with this increase.”
The Distilled Spirits Council, which advocates for the industry in the U.S.., said in a statement it supports the WHO’s goal to reduce the harmful use of alcohol. “However, we are concerned that some policy recommendations such as increasing alcohol taxes are misguided and don’t effectively address harmful consumption,” it said.
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Associated Press medical writer Maria Cheng in London contributed to this report.
courtesy : hindustantimes.com
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Indian missions in US in touch with students facing visa issues: MEA
New Delhi, Apr 17 (PTI): Indian missions in the United States are in touch with Indian students facing issues relating to revocation of visas and extending possible support to them, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.
The comments by MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal came amid instances of Indian students in the US receiving communications from local authorities on possible revocation of their visas.
"We are aware that several Indian students have received communication from the US government regarding their F-1 visa status, which happens to be the student visa," Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing here.
"We are looking into the matter. Our embassy and consulates, they are in touch with the students to provide support," he said.
Jaiswal was responding to a question on several Indian students receiving communications from US authorities under the Donald Trump administration on possible revocation of their visas.
According to reports, an Indian was among four students at Michigan public universities who filed a lawsuit against their possible deportation after their student immigration status was terminated.
Chinmay Deore from India was among the students who filed the lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and immigration officials.
The students argued that their immigration status in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) was illegally terminated, "without sufficient notice and explanation".
The SEVIS is a database that tracks information about non-immigrant students and exchange visitors in the US.
