On World No Tobacco Day, 31 May, the Gauteng Health Department, in line with the World Health Organization (WHO), is calling for a prohibition of to all forms of tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship to help reduce the number of tobacco users. Tobacco use kills nearly 6 million people every year.
Health MEC Hope Papo believes; "Effective protection of children and pregnant women from exposure to tobacco smoke requires the total elimination of tobacco smoke. This means that only 100% smoke-free environments are adequate to protect people from the harmful impact of exposure. Separated indoor smoking areas, even if separately ventilated, are not an effective solution."
Tobacco use is the world’s leading cause of preventable death, according to the World Health Organization. According to the South African tobacco industry, there are 7.7 million adult smokers in South Africa. Smoking kills around 44 000 South Africans every year. Increasingly, the burden of smoking has a direct impact on the rise of the 'silent epidemic' of chronic diseases of lifestyle and the development of children. The result is a tobacco epidemic of preventable death, disease and economic harm to individuals and families.
"Although most of us are now aware of the health dangers associated with smoking, scores of South Africans still light up," says MEC Papo. "This is mostly unfortunate because smoking puts not only the smoker at risk of developing illnesses such as lung cancer, chronic lung diseases and heart disease but also the lives of those around them like children and pregnant women."
In 2003; former Health Minister Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang signed the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) convention on behalf of South Africa in Geneva, Switzerland, making the country one of the first signatories. The former Minister was accompanied by two South African girls, 10-year-old Adivhaho Ramaro and 11-year-old Naledi Motlatla. Adopted by consensus at the World Health Assembly, the FCTC became the first ever legal instrument designed to counter the harmful effects of tobacco and save lives of about six million people who die annually of tobacco related diseases in the world.
In March this year (2013) Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi issued regulations that tightened the noose on smoking. The new regulations seek to, inter alia, restrict the smoking of tobacco outside of buildings, prohibition of the advertisement of cigarettes or tobacco products by shops, make all buildings smoke-free zones and prohibit smoking within 10m of entrances and ventilation facilities of any public building and also prohibit smoking at beaches, schools, stadiums, as well as in outdoor eating and drinking areas.
World trends show that most smokers start and get addicted in their impressionable adolescent years, when peer pressure is acute and young people emulate those they see as role models. A whopping 79% of people say they took their first drag before their 20th birthday, and of those, 43% were younger than 16.
MEC Papo adds; "Children face a greater risk than adults of the negative effects of secondhand smoking. Young children have little control over their surroundings. Babies can't move to another room because the air is smoky. They depend on the adults in their lives to make sure their environment is safe."
Some of the facts about smoking are;
- Teenage smokers are more likely to have seen a doctor or other health professionals for an emotional or psychological complaint.
- Teens who smoke are three times more likely, than non-smokers, to use alcohol, eight times more likely to use marijuana, and 22 times more likely to use cocaine. Smoking is associated with a host of other risky behaviours, such as fighting and engaging in unprotected sex.
- Babies whose mothers smoke during pregnancy often weigh less at birth than those born to non-smoking mothers. Low birth weight is a leading cause of infant death.
- Babies whose mothers smoke during pregnancy are at increased risk for developmental issues, such as learning disabilities and cerebral palsy.
- Babies who are exposed to secondhand smoke after birth have twice the risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) as babies who aren't exposed. Babies whose mothers smoked before and after birth carry three to four times the risk for SIDS.
The WHO estimates that between 200,000 and 1,000,000 kids with asthma have their condition worsened by secondhand smoke. Passive smoking may also be responsible for thousands of new cases of asthma every year.
MEC Papo concludes by reminding citizens that the smoking of tobacco is a health hazard and is the single most preventable cause of many health problems which include: many cancers: lung, throat, mouth, tongue, bladder, cervix, pancreas, kidney and stomach, cardiovascular diseases, heart attacks and strokes, respiratory diseases such as chronic bronchitis, emphysema and chronic obstructive airways disease, peptic ulcers and impotence.
Note: MEC Papo will deliver his budget policy statement at the Gauteng Legislature today, Friday at 11h00 - 12h00!
