UN awards Brazil for tobacco control and lower road death rate

Brazil’s Health Minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta received the United Nations (UN) Interagency Task Force Award in New York on Monday (Sep 23). The accolade recognizes measures by the Brazilian government to fight tobacco and reduce deaths stemming from traffic accidents. In the last 12 years, the number of smokers in Brazil plunged 40 percent from 15.6 percent in 2006 to nine percent in 2018.

From 2010 to 2017, the country slashed the number of traffic-related deaths by 17.4 percent—from 42,844 to 35,374 deaths. The award is said to come to acknowledge Brazil’s contribution to meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals in different fields by 2030.

Health Minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta – Marcelo Camargo / Agência Brasil

“We were able to reach nine percent of smokers in the country thanks to the efforts we’ve been making against tobacco for nearly 20 years. We’ll be the first tobacco-free nation in the world. And this is something only universal coverage in health care and support from society can achieve,” Mandetta declared.

Regarding tobacco, the award was given to Brazil’s National Commission for Implementation of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, controlled by the Health Ministry. The commission aims to boost the development, implementation, and assessment of initiatives to meet the goals listed on the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

On the road

Brazil was also awarded for its Vida no Trânsito (“life on the go”) program. Created in 2010, the plan aims to cut road traffic deaths by 50 percent by 2020. To achieve this, the Health ministry has implemented measures alongside with state and municipal governments ranging from traffic engineering interventions to inspections, educational campaigns, and victim assistance.

The initiative has been implemented in 26 capital cities and 26 municipalities across the country, with a coverage of over 50 million people. In the most engaged capitals, the reduction surpassed 40 percent. The top ranking cities are Aracaju, with a 55.8 percent shrinkage, Porto Velho (52.0%), São Paulo (46.7%), Belo Horizonte (44.7%), Salvador (42.7%); and Maceió (de 41.9%).

*With information from the Health Ministry