Sub-Saharan Africa must urgently embrace tobacco harm reduction, according to a new briefing paper published by Knowledge-Action-Change (KAC), a public health group based in the United Kingdom.
“By global comparisons, smoking prevalence is relatively low across the continent of Africa,” the author, THR Malawi founder Chimwemwe Ngoma, writes.
“Yet by 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) projects the total number of tobacco users in Africa will increase to 62 [million], of whom 51 [million] will be smoking combustible tobacco.
The opportunities to reduce the burden of non-communicable disease, suffering and premature deaths presented by tobacco harm reduction (THR) are therefore huge. Appropriate, accessible and affordable safer nicotine products (SNP), supported by product regulation, could help create a smoke-free Africa and, unlike most tobacco control interventions, this can be achieved at minimal cost to governments.”
Alex Norcia – Filter – 2022-09-19.
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