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a32 local
Monday 1 June 2020

Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) observes World No Tobacco Day 2020:

Protecting youth from industry manipulation and preventing them

from tobacco and nicotine use

In the Caribbean region, tobacco use
remains a major public health concern.
It is a preventable risk factor for no com-
municable diseases (NCDs), which are the
leading cause of death, disease and dis-
ability among Caribbean people.

Dr St John further stated “There is no safe
level of exposure to tobacco smoke. Sec-
ondhand smoke exposure causes stroke,
lung cancer, and coronary heart disease
in adults; and acute respiratory infections, nipulation and Preventing in e-cigarettes is a highly
PORT OF SPAIN, TRINIDAD — The use of to- severe asthma in children.” Them from Tobacco and addictive drug and can
bacco products in any form harms nearly Nicotine Use. The WHO damage children’s devel-
every organ of the body, irrespective of A recent review by World Health Organiza- is launching a counter- oping brains. Children and
whether it is smoked, smokeless, or elec- tion (WHO) found that smoking is associat- marketing campaign in adolescents who use e-
tronic. Chewing tobacco is an important ed with increased severity of disease and response to the tobacco cigarettes at least double
risk factor for certain cancers,” stated Dr. death in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. and related industries’ sys- their chance of smoking
Joy St John, CARPHA Executive Director tematic, aggressive and cigarettes later in life.
in observance of World No Tobacco Day This year, World No Tobacco Day focuses sustained tactics to hook a
2020. on Protecting Youth from Industry Ma- new generation of users. Preventing tobacco prod-
uct use among youth is
A report published by therefore critical. It is im-
the Pan American Health portant that we educate
Organization (PAHO) re- children and adolescents
vealed that the estimated on the harms of nicotine
prevalence of tobacco and tobacco product use
smoking in adults was 15.2% and empower them to re-
(19.3% in men and 11.1% in ject industry manipulation.
women) in the region of
the Americas, in 2017. In Tobacco control is key to
general, men smoke more reducing premature mor-
than women. tality from NCDs. Let us
Among adolescents aged strive to create a genera-
13 to 15 years, the preva- tion that is free from to-
lence of tobacco use in the bacco and second-hand
Caribbean and the Ameri- smoke and the death and
cas 11.4%, in 2016, rang- disease that they cause.
ing from a high of 25.3% in
Dominica to a low of 6.9% CARPHA urges Member
in Brazil. States to work together
to prevent and lessen the
Strategies employed by use of all forms of tobac-
the tobacco industry to co products and scale-up
attract the youth, include efforts to implement their
manufacturing of flavored commitments under the
tobacco products, distri- WHO Framework Conven-
bution of free samples at tion on Tobacco Control.
popular events for young By doing so, the negative
people, social media influ- impact of smoking and
encers and marketing, and its consequences on the
sponsored events and par- health of our people, espe-
ties. cially the younger genera-
tion, and the economies of
Smokeless doesn’t mean the countries of our Region,
that it’s harmless. Nicotine will greatly be reduced.q