Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa said
this on Thursday during a virtual press conference.
Moeti said tobacco was the leading cause of preventable
deaths in the world and emphasised that “smoking damages nearly every organ in
the body.”
About 8 million die of tobacco smoking yearly.
Moeti said that “globally, exposure to secondhand smoke
kills more than 1.2 million people yearly.”
She explained that the use of tobacco products other than
cigarettes, such as vaporizers, was on the increase in Africa.
Moeti said that quitting tobacco was the way to reduce the
risk of developing cancer, heart disease, stroke and other diseases, noting
that it would also increase one’s life expectancy.
She added that “quitting tobacco is hard but today is a good
day to start.
“Make the decision to live a life controlled by you and not
tobacco.
“It may seem impossible, or like smoking isn’t a big deal.
But what you don’t do today may end up causing future health problems or,
worse, premature death,” Moeti said.
She said that one in five adolescents in Africa now used
tobacco, saying “this must change. Quit smoking and be a part of the solution.”
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