Health experts advocates ban tobacco to check spread of Covid-19

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, June 1

As World Tobacco Day was observed on Monday, health experts have demanded a temporary ban on the sale of tobacco and its products amid the Covid-19 pandemic to check its spread and make people aware of ill-effects of tobacco usage.

Dr Simarpreet Sandhu, secretary general, Asian Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, said for decades, the tobacco industry has deliberately employed aggressive and well-resourced tactics to attract youth to tobacco and nicotine products.

She said a ban on the sale of tobacco, at least temporarily, can help check the spread of Covid-19 as tobacco consumption makes people more vulnerable during the pandemic. She added that shared hookas had led to rise in the Covid-19 cases in a few places earlier.

“Smokeless tobacco increases production of saliva which leads to increased spitting in public, thereby increasing the chances of Covid-19 spread,” said Dr Sandhu. She added that chewing tobacco like gutkha and khaini is not a safe alternative to smoking as it contains more than 28 cancer causing chemicals and increases vulnerability of cancer of the mouth, esophagus, pharynx, larynx, stomach and pancreas.

The anti-tobacco crusader said it is time to make young people aware of the harmful effects of tobacco and tactics used by companies to hook youth to tobacco and nicotine products. She added that every year, the government spends a huge amount on treatment and care of oral cancer patients, which can be saved by checking the use of tobacco products.

Awareness event held at Kalanaur

To mark World Tobacco Day, an event was observed at Community Health Centre, Kalanaur. Senior Medical Officer Dr Lakhwinder Singh Athwal said, “The theme for World No Tobacco Day this year is protecting youth from industry manipulation and preventing them from tobacco and nicotine use.”