On May 31, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and partners mark World No Tobacco Day, highlighting the health risks associated with tobacco use while advocating for effective policies to reduce tobacco consumption.
The tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced, killing nearly six million people a year. More than five million of those deaths are the result of direct tobacco use while more than 600,000 are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke. Approximately one person dies every six seconds due to tobacco, accounting for one in 10 adult deaths. Up to half of current users will eventually die of a tobacco-related disease.
Smoking is especially dangerous for people living with HIV and can lead to:
- Thrush (a mouth infection, also called oral candidiasis)
- Hairy leukoplakia (white mouth sores)
- Bacterial pneumonia
- Pneumocystis pneumonia, a dangerous lung infection
Smokers living with HIV are more likely to get other serious illnesses than nonsmokers with HIV. These illnesses can make one too sick to work or even lead to an early death. They include:
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), a serious lung disease that causes severe breathing problems
- Heart disease and stroke
- Lung cancer, throat cancer, cervical cancer
People with HIV are more likely to develop these smoking related illnesses than those without HIV.
Tobacco and TB
According to WHO, recent studies have proven a co-relation between tobacco use and Tuberculosis (TB).
- Smoking substantially increases the risk of TB and death from TB
- More than 20% of global TB incidence may be attributable to smoking
- Smoking is a risk factor for TB, independent of alcohol use and other socioeconomic risk factors
- Smoking increases the risk of TB disease by more than two-and-a-half times
Perks of not smoking
CHS has a no smoking policy and encourages all smokers to quit. Quitting smoking has major and immediate health benefits for all tobacco users, especially those living with HIV & TB. Quitting reduces chances of developing disease, helps one feel better, and improves the quality of life.
Second-hand smoke has immediate harmful effects on blood and blood vessels, which can raise the risk of a heart attack. People who already have heart disease are at especially high risk for a heart attack. Second-hand smoke can also lead to lung cancer.