Afrigather Sierra Leone joined the remainder of the world to commemorate World No Tobacco Day on 31 Could 2022. The occasion was led by the Ministry of Well being, with assist from WHO, in collaboration with companions together with youth, spiritual, and the media organizations below the theme “Defending kids from tobacco trade interference.”
To focus on tobacco use’s profound well being, social, financial, and environmental impacts, the Ministry of Well being, supported by WHO, organized a week-long collection of actions resulting in No Tobacco Day from Could 27-31, 2024. These included neighborhood outreach, awareness-raising campaigns, radio and tv applications, advocacy initiatives, and a Youth Symposium to launch the Tobacco and Nicotine Management Act.
This yr’s theme underscores the urgency of defending kids from tobacco interference, given the alarming pattern of focusing on youth. Participating numerous stakeholders, together with youth, mother and father, educators, healthcare professionals, and regulation enforcement businesses, is essential to protecting the youth secure and wholesome.
To fight these challenges, Sierra Leone has enacted the Complete Tobacco and Nicotine Management Act 2022, incorporating key demand discount methods that align with the WHO Framework Conference on Tobacco Management (FCTC) provisions. The Act features a 100% smoke-free coverage banning smoking in all public locations and workplaces, bans on all flavored tobacco and nicotine merchandise and components, and a complete ban on tobacco commercial, sponsorship, and promotion. It additionally prohibits the sale of single cigarette sticks and the sale of tobacco merchandise to or by minors and mandates graphic well being warnings on all tobacco product packages.
Globally, tobacco use is a big public well being concern linked to non-communicable ailments equivalent to diabetes, cardiovascular ailments, continual respiratory ailments, and most cancers. In Sierra Leone, the affect is especially extreme amongst younger folks, who’re focused by the tobacco trade by means of flavored merchandise, glamorous promoting, and social media influencers. This exploitation leaves kids and adolescents extremely vulnerable to nicotine dependancy, posing long-term well being dangers and undermining the well-being of future generations.
WHO is strengthening collaboration with different companions to extend public consciousness and understanding of the Tobacco and Nicotine Management Act. Empowering people and communities to advocate for tobacco management measures has fostered broad assist for the Act’s enforcement.
Defending kids in Sierra Leone from nicotine dependancy and the dangerous impact of tobacco requires concerted efforts of the federal government, companions, and companions. WHO calls on all stakeholders to work collectively in the direction of a more healthy and extra affluent future, free from the devastating impacts of tobacco.
About tobacco
Tobacco is a uniquely harmful product, liable for over 8 million deaths yearly, together with these brought on by second-hand smoke. Past the staggering statistics, tobacco use considerably burdens healthcare programs and economies globally, resulting in preventable ailments like most cancers, coronary heart illness, and respiratory diseases. Moreover, the usage of tobacco amongst younger folks typically serves as a gateway to different dangerous substances, exacerbating public well being challenges.
