While noting that a recent review by the World Health Organization (WHO) found that smoking is associated with increased severity of disease and death in hospitalised COVID-19 patients, the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) has urged regional states to work together to prevent and lessen the use of all forms of tobacco products and scale-up efforts to implement their commitments under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
“By doing so, the negative impact of smoking and its consequences on the health of our people, especially the younger generation, and the economies of the countries of our Region, will greatly be reduced,” CARPHA said in a statement yesterday in observation of World No Tobacco Day 2020.
World No Tobacco Day is observed annually on May 31 across the world. The observances are used to inform the public of the dangers of tobacco use, among other things.
This year’s focus is on protecting youth from tobacco industry manipulation and preventing tobacco and nicotine use.
The CARPHA’s statement noted that the WHO is launching a counter-marketing campaign in response to the tobacco and related industries’ systematic, aggressive and sustained tactics to hook a new generation of users.
Dr. Joy St John, CARPHA Executive Director, was quoted as saying that the use of tobacco products in any form harms nearly every organ of the body, irrespective of whether it is smoked, smokeless, or electronic.
“There is no safe level of exposure to tobacco smoke. Secondhand smoke exposure causes stroke, lung cancer, and coronary heart disease in adults; and acute respiratory infections, severe asthma in children,” St John further stated.
In the Caribbean region, the statement said, tobacco use remains a major public health concern and is recognised as a preventable risk factor for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which are the leading cause of death, disease and disability among Caribbean people.
CARPHA further said that preventing tobacco product use among youth is critical and that it is important that the region educate children and adolescents on the harms of nicotine and tobacco product use and empower them to reject industry manipulation. “Tobacco control is key to reducing premature mortality from NCDs. Let us strive to create a generation that is free from tobacco and second-hand smoke and the death and disease that they cause,” it added.
