Tobacco-related Diseases Are Among the Killer Diseases in the World
Apart from tobacco being a medicinal plant, when abused, causes addiction as 70 out of the 5000 chemicals contained in the tobacco are carcinogenic.
Tobacco-related diseases kill more than any other preventable cause of death in the world and they are majorly non-communicable diseases(NCDs) which include cancer, heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, stroke, tuberculosis, hearing loss, vision loss, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD) like chronic bronchitis.
One in six deaths by NCDs are related to tobacco hence this is a major risk factor for NCDs.
“Noncommunicable diseases are on the rise due to increased consumption of tobacco,” said Dorcas Kiptui, Head of Tobacco Control, Ministry of Health.
According to World Health Organization(WHO) statistics over 8 million people die annually due to tobacco-related diseases in the world,7.4 million being due to direct smoking and the remaining 1 million being due to passive smoking.
The Ministry of Health statistics shows that more than 6000 Kenyans die of tobacco-related diseases every year,79 men and 37 women dying per week with 220,000 children and 2,737,000 adults estimated to be using the tobacco per day.
“Among the youths aged 13 and 15 years tobacco is consumed in equal numbers between boys and girls,” said Dorcas Kiptui.
According to WHO, 1.4 trillion people in the whole world have been affected by tobacco smoking, getting noncommunicable diseases hence spending a lot on healthcare and reduced work productivity.
WHO has added that there is no safe tobacco product nor safe level of consumption as products like cigarettes and vape put at risk the sustainability of the progress made in reducing tobacco consumption.
Post Author
