Every year, more than eight million people die from tobacco use, about 15 per cent of all deaths per year, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). More than seven million of those deaths are the result of direct tobacco use while around 1.2 million are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke. Nearly half of all children breathe air polluted by tobacco smoke and 65,000 children die each year owing to illnesses related to second-hand smoke.
Another sobering fact – tobacco kills up to half of its users. Seventy per cent of fatalities occur in less developed and emerging nations. In excess of 40 per cent of all tobacco-related deaths are from lung diseases like cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and tuberculosis.
The tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced, the WHO has stated. “All forms of tobacco are harmful, and there is no safe level of exposure to tobacco. Cigarette smoking is the most common form of tobacco use worldwide. Other tobacco products include waterpipe tobacco; various smokeless tobacco products including e-cigarettes; cigars, cigarillos, roll-your-own tobacco, and pipe tobacco”. Many are misled into believing that e-cigarettes are not as harmful as the traditional cigarettes, but experts have warned that they are equally damaging as they raise blood pressure increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
“More than 80 per cent of tobacco users worldwide live in low- and middle-income countries, where the burden of tobacco-related illness and death is heaviest,” the WHO noted. “The economic costs of tobacco use are substantial and include significant health care-costs for treating the diseases caused by tobacco use – as well as the lost human capital that results from tobacco-attributable morbidity and mortality. Tobacco use also contributes to poverty by diverting household spending from basic needs such as food and shelter to tobacco.”
Here, in Guyana, over 70 per cent of all deaths are caused by non-communicable diseases (NCDs), some of which we all know are strongly related to tobacco use. Over 15 per cent of the adult population currently smoke; and, more worryingly, the results of a Global Youth Tobacco Survey conducted in 2015 revealed that 14.8 per cent of adolescents aged between 13 and 15 years also use tobacco.
Countries, including Guyana, must take stock of what is happening, and continue to work diligently with international health partners to increase action to protect people from exposure to tobacco use. Too many people are dying senselessly, and urgent action must be taken, as these are deaths which can be avoided.
The WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) is an international public health treaty and a guiding framework for the global fight against the tobacco epidemic. Guyana has been a party to the FCTC since 2005. The FCTC requires countries to apply a series of policies and measures aimed at reducing the global tobacco epidemic.
In July 2017, Guyana took the bold step of passing the National Tobacco Act. This legislation follows several of the Articles of the WHO Convention, and mandates the adoption and implementation of a series of tobacco control policies that make it one of the most complete tobacco control laws. These include: 100 per cent smoke-free environments in all indoor public spaces, indoor work spaces, public transportation and specified outdoor spaces, to protect people from exposure to tobacco smoke; a ban on all forms of advertising, promotion and sponsorship of tobacco products; health warnings featured on 60 per cent of tobacco product packaging, including images. It also includes a ban on the sale of tobacco products to and by minors; prohibition on vending machines’ sales; and a ban on the manufacture and sale of toys and candies and any other goods in the form of tobacco products.
Having the necessary legislation in place is a good starting point, but there are many other challenges which health authorities must address if Guyana is to really reduce the number of persons dying or becoming ill owing to tobacco use or exposure. These challenges relate to monitoring and compliance, and enforcement of the legislation to ensure that the population is protected from the dangers of tobacco use. Much of the success will be based on the quality of enforcement mechanisms in place. So, the question is how have we been doing on that front?
Ensuring the protection of a country’s population is no easy task, but the well-being of citizens is of prime importance.
