WHO targets alcohol industry

The World Health Organisation (WHO) this week called for increased taxes on alcoholic beverages, particularly targeting wine.

The WHO issued at statement urging countries to increase taxes on what it called “unhealthy products” including alcohol and sweetened beverages (SSBs).

Alcoholic beverages are estimated to have caused 2.6 million deaths globally per year, the UN-backed organisation said.

It singled out wine as a main alcoholic beverage exempted from excise taxes - mainly in Europe, home to the world’s biggest wine producers and main wine consumption markets.

The WHO says at least 148 countries have applied excise taxes to alcoholic beverages at the national level. “However, wine is exempted from excise taxes in at least 22 countries, most of which are in the European region,” it says.

Citing a 2017 study, WHO says that taxes that increase alcohol prices by 50% would help avert over 21 million deaths over 50 years and generate nearly SUS17 trillion in additional revenues.

Half of all countries taxing SSBs are also taxing water, which is not recommended by WHO.

“Taxing unhealthy products creates healthier populations," says Dr Rűdiger Krech, director of Health Promotion for the WHO.

"It has a positive ripple effect across society - less disease and debilitation and revenue for governments to provide public services.

"In the case of alcohol, taxes also help prevent violence and road traffic injuries.”

Countries like Lithuania, that increased alcohol tax in 2017 to drive down consumption have decreased deaths from alcohol-related diseases, the WHO says.

It also says research shows that taxing alcohol and SSBs helps cut down use of these products and gives companies a reason to make healthier products. While at the same time tax on these products help prevent injuries and noncommunicable diseases such as cancers, diabetes and heart diseases

Image: Louw Lemmer, Scop.io.

Covid no longer a global health emergency, says WHO

Covid is no longer a global health emergency, the World Health Organisation declared this week.

WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (above) said the epidemic has been downgraded and confirmed cases and deaths have been on a downward trend for over a year.

“This trend has allowed most countries to return to life as we knew,” Tedros said.

“It’s therefore with great hope that Covid-19 is over as a global health emergency.”

The WHO declared Covid an emergency in late January, 2020 and nearly seven million people have died from the virus globally since then.

Tedros says there is still some risk of a new variant, which could lead to another surge in cases, Travel Mole reported.

He urged governments to remain vigilant as global travel patterns start to return to normal.

“This virus is here to stay and still changing,” he said.

"In early 2020 the virus caused an unheard of global shutdown travel and border.

“It has been so much more than health crisis.

“It has caused severe economic upheaval, disrupting travel and trade, and plunging millions into poverty.”

Dr Kate O’Brien, director of WHO’s Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals, said that declaring the end of Covid-19 as a global health emergency does not end vaccination efforts.

Covid vaccine coverage for individuals at high risk remains “far too low” in many countries, such as in the African continent.

Wine industry fears warning labels on bottles

Bottles of wine could in the near future carry health messages with lurid photos like those carried on packets of cigarettes. Get ready for warnings like "drinking causes cancer".

To head off action like this, the International Organisation of Wine and Vine (OIV) met with the World Health Organisation this week to “discuss the role of wine in alcohol policies”, Drinks Business reports.

The OIV wants to promote the role of moderate wine consumption as part of a healthy lifestyle.

The OIV issued a statement to Drinks Business saying it has always encouraged responsible drinking and has published the results from many studies into the effects of moderate wine consumption on health.

For this reason it noted that the OIV and WHO have “common objectives in promoting a healthy way of life”, adding that “co-operation is crucial between both organisations”.

The WHO is expected to adopt “a global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol” in May this year.

Within the draft plan, among the “proposed actions” for the WHO secretariat, is not only the “implementation of minimum pricing and taxation policies”, but also “the development and implementation of warning labels” for drinks.

There will be a final vote soon to decide on whether the recommendations in this report should be adopted by the European Union, which would include a suggestion that health warnings be added to all alcoholic drinks.