Tobacco prematurely kills an estimated three million people every year globally. This figure is likely to rise to 8.4 million per annum by 2025 in developing countries. Mortality rate from all respiratory diseases is 4.7 times higher among people smoking more than 25 cigarettes a day than among non-smokers. This was stated by Dr Raj Tilak and Dr Amita Tilak, the wife-husband team which has taken up the crudgel to spread the message about the harmful effects of tobacco.