Bloomberg and Gates to spend $500 million on anti-smoking campaign
2008-07-25 17:32:37 (GMT) (Caymanmama.com - Health News News)Nashville, Tennessee (CaymanMama.com) — The two richest philanthropists in the world, Michael Bloomberg and Bill Gates, pledged to spend $500 million to encourage people stop smoking throughout the world. The announcement was made in a press conference held at The Times Center inMidtown Manhattan.
Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York City, founded Bloomberg LP, financial software services, data and news company. Bill Gates is going to retire from his position as the chairman of Microsoft, a software company he founded in 1975. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation founded by Bill and his wife has spent over $3 billion fighting malaria and AIDS.
WHO has reported that tobacco-related deaths in this century will occur at least 10 times more than the last century, most of which will take place in developing countries such as Bangladesh and middle-income countries such as Russia. The plans of Bloomberg include spending $250 million over the next 4 years in addition to the $125 million he spent two years ago. Gates will spend $125 million over the next 5 years. The donations will give an enormous boost to the current $20 million spent per year on anti-smoking efforts in those countries.
The campaign, MPOWER, will ask the governments to increase tobacco taxes, ban smoking in public areas, stop advertising to children, promote anti-smoking initiatives and give resources and tools to help people quit. The joint expenditure will be made from CDC, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use, WHO and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.
Gates said that diseases caused by tobacco have been one of the most difficult health challenges in developing countries. Mayor Bloomberg has also been instrumental to introduce measures of anti-smoking in New York City as well as to raise the tax on tobacco.
CaymanMama.com - Press Release Distribution Service
Comments
Articles
- Been in a motorcycle accident? Vehicle and Motorcycle accident lawyer educates
- Pakistani youth deprived of recreational facilities
- How to Identify a Brain Injury
- Bluetooth technology: Revolutionized
- Color card printing best for business promotion and personal use
- What is Depression?
- Brochure Templates made easy with PrintPelican.com
- Flyers as best marketing tool for business enterprise
- Who uses an RSS Feed?
- A guide to personal injury claims
