By: Audrey John
Quality and Control Officer, World Health Organization (WHO), Dr Reynold Senesi has disclosed that smoking decreases life span to 10 years.
Dr. Senesi was speaking to journalists and other stakeholders in the health sector at the Country Lodge Hotel, Hill Station in Freetown.
He made this disclosure shortly after the country enacted its first-ever tobacco and narcotics law which prohibits people from smoking cigarettes in public places.
According to him, more than 50% of smokers die of a disease known to be smoking-related.
Dr. Senesi mentioned that “evidence of smoking linkage between smoking and lung cancer, myocardial infarction, respiratory disease and other smoking-related illnesses.”
He disclosed that the world records 1 million deaths due to second-hand smoke exposure, whereas, 8 million deaths are caused by tobacco.
He also mentioned that tobacco and second-hand smoke exposure are risk factors for six leading causes of death in the world. He highlighted that among these diseases are: coronary heart disease, stroke, COPD, lower respiratory infections, trachea bronchus lung cancers, diabetes mellitus, and tuberculosis.
He also revealed that the spread of the tobacco epidemic is facilitated by complex factors. Among these factors are trade liberalization and direct foreign investment, global marketing, transnational tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, and the international movement of contraband counterfeit products.
Dr. Senesi spoke of the World Health Organization (WHO) framework convention on tobacco control. He told all present that the objectives for the framework include: protecting present and future generations from the devastating health, social, environmental and economic consequences of tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke.
He added that the framework is also meant to provide control measures to be implemented by the parties at the national, regional and International levels. He furthered that the framework is meant to reduce continually and substantially the prevalence of tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke.
