BURNING HOPES: Anti-tobacco advocacy groups peg Africa as a region of high concern due to its residents' growing habit. A man, pictured here, smokes a cigarette rolled in newsprint.
Image: ISTOCKPHOTO/MANOAFRICA
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Africa is already beleaguered by infectious diseases, such as AIDS and malaria, but now the continent's residents face growing health threats from preventable illnesses brought on by lifestyle changes, such as from poor diets and smoking.
In an effort to stave off these maladies, advocates have turned their sights on tobacco use, which is on the rise throughout Africa and projected to double by 2021. Of the approximately one billion people across the world who use tobacco, 60 million to 80 million live in Africa.
Along with lobbying for higher tobacco taxes and broader public health messages, advocates are hoping to eliminate smoking in public places in an effort to protect people from both first- and second-hand smoke.
About a billion people worldwide live in municipalities where smoking is outlawed in public places, according to a report published Tuesday by Global Smokefree Partnership (a joint initiative backed by the American Cancer Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer and 14 other entities) and announced in time for the African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer's (AORTIC) "Cancer in Africa" conference taking place this week in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Reducing secondhand smoke exposure can reduce the rates of lung cancer, heart attacks and breathing trouble in populations.
"It's one of the most frustrating things," Thomas Glynn, director of International Cancer Control for the American Cancer Society (ACS) and acting head of the Global Smokefree Partnership says, about knowing that many nicotine-related illnesses can be prevented—especially among those who do not smoke—with the right laws and education.
A few countries in Africa have taken a firm stance on public smoking. the Indian Ocean nation, Mauritius, and South Africa have passed strong national smoke-free laws, and Nigeria's capital, Abuja, has a local ordinance in effect. But in many areas throughout the continent, politically connected and economically strong tobacco companies—and their addictive products—are shaping up to be a substantial opponent (British American Tobacco, a member of the industry group the Tobacco Institute of Southern Africa, did not repond to request for comment).
A hit on health
Tobacco causes about 5.4 million deaths worldwide each year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), a number that is set to rise in the coming decades even as use decreases in many developed countries. But it is not just the smokers who suffer from the ill effects of their habits.
Since 1986 secondhand smoke has been recognized internationally as a contributor to lung cancer and, in 2006, the U.S. Surgeon General went so far as to say "there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke." These findings, however, have not widely been put into regulatory action, leaving some 90 percent of Africans without local or national smoke-free laws, the new report notes. For example, in Tunisia, where tobacco use is especially high, even teachers and doctors smoke at work, according to a report issued earlier this year by the Economist Intelligence Unit, a London-based firm that provides business and market research, and backed by Pfizer.
Aside from the millions of tobacco-related deaths annually, the range of long-term disability that tobacco smoke exposure can induce also takes a toll on health and productivity. "We focus on lung cancer deaths, but more people are disabled by emphysema and heart disease and can't provide for their families," Glynn says.
In developed countries, heart attacks in areas with smoke-free laws dropped by 36 percent three years after laws went into effect, according to a report released in September by the American Heart Association. California, one of the first states in the U.S. to institute substantial local laws banning public smoking, has seen a reduction in lung cancer, Glynn notes. "From a biological plausibility standpoint, there's no reason we wouldn't see a similar decrease" in African countries, he says.
"The science is established," Glynn says. "It's now the legal and regulatory issues that are being dealt with." But in cities such as Abuja, where more than half of school students do not know that secondhand smoke can be hazardous, creating public support for laws and enforcement can be challenging. And in countries that grow tobacco, such as Tanzania, where about 6 percent of the country's income is tied to the crop, limiting the product's range can be met with formidable financial resistance.
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19 Comments
Add CommentMs. Harmon and other journalists: Please stop repeating former Surgeon General Carmona's claim that "there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke." That's not true. Every source has a dosage level below which it is not harmful.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThank you.
This is eerily reminiscent of the East India Company's' evil enslavement of the Chinese to opium. Why is this pernicious drug tolerated and promoted when Marijuana is demonized?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt's a topsy turvey World.... But as with most things, its a case of 'follow the money'.
I think it is important to indicate that the Gates Foundation has generously started to provide funding to promote tobacco control in Sub-Sahara Africa. In December 2007 the Canadian IDRC received $5 million + (for a 2 year program), in July 2009 ACS was selected to lead a $ 7 million (5 year) program and in August WHO was awarded $9.9 million. Those are very big grants compared to what was available before. Some key problems could be: how are such projects managed, are the local advocates/organizations involved, what degree of transparency, accountability, good governance, evaluation, is required?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHow are the non-English speaking people be included
I have still to read one article about those "new" programs.
More info on http://blogsofbainbridge.typepad.com/
the complete url for the blog mentioned at end of the previous post should be:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://blogsofbainbridge.typepad.com/africa
Here we go again ! Best remember, in it all, " Figures NEVER lie BUT LIARS figure and each side adds or deletes data to support THEIR view. Now, I do NOT pretend to say smoking is good for you, or its smoke(second hand). Yellow walls and ceilings TALK loads, BUT LET'S ATTACK THE PROBLEM; all chemicals sprayed on tobacco plants, genetic engineering of plants to produce MORE tar and NICOTINE, Chemicals used durring processing. All go back directly, and indirectly to the tobacco co.'s and no one will attack them directly, isn't POLITICALLY a good idea. As a previous commenter said, "FOLLOW THE MONEY tail" Thank you.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisYeh. Car ownership goes up -and lung cancer and heart disease rise. I don't mean to be overly cynical but a) anyone who says motor exhaust is not a major vector for diease lacks a highschool education and b) why are the cancer rates and the self admitted sketchy statistics not accounting for 1)tobacco has always been readily available in Africa and I very much doubt that usage has changed a great deal in 100yrs. 2) there is always a lack of true correlation of data when people with a personal interest in regulating independance get preachy. If we lose this level of luxury consumption in the industrialized world tobacco will certainly be king again and they'll go back to regulating sex.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisA) IF anyone wants to tell me motor exhaust is not a significant vector for disease they lack a highschool education. b)Tobacco has always been readily available in Africa and I doubt if usage has changed much in 100yrs.(filters of no filters)
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thiswhenever a body goes about controlling our lives for some scary excuse there is always a lame and misleading effort at correlating the facts. I will bet you money any increase in these problems is very slightly (the increase) due to Tobacco. When this horribly toppling luxury consumerism collapses Tobacco will again be King. Then they'll try to regulate sex or such.
Nothing worse for you than petroleum, sugar and red meat.
in the past 40yrs lung cancer incidence in USA has gone up 2pts. With the radical decline in tobacco use these years -something more harmful than tobacco in our air is indicated. what atmospheric contamination has increased substantialy?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisTell me. how many communities -without a major and prominent industrial complex -could manufacture a repectable assault rifle? Isn't the elimination of military grade firearms totally within the capacity of industrialized nations. why are we picking on Tobacco? why dont' we put that money and effort into ending armed conflict?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisTHE SHORTEST PATH TO WORLD PROSPERITY IS WORLD PEACE -TOBACCO IS A PEACE OF WORLD PEACE
How would you disarm the world? That statement is so naive and stupid. People like you thinks it starts with us disarming. You want the entire world to behave like Somalia pirates? That's what would happen if we disarmed.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHow do YOU think pirates and insurgents get Arms. THE MANUFACTURERS SELL THEM TO THE INDEPENDANTS! -talk about naive.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAs lung cancer has gone up 2pts in the past 40yrs -colon cancer -which previously surpassed lung cancer -has dropped 2pts. Salad anyone?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisYour statement itself speaks of inequity being the source of violent action and armed conflict. Gross inequity. USA -internally our violence is due to the Gross Inequity in Our Society. Unfortunately we can't have prosperity without peace. peace is found in equity.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thiswhere do you think your pirates and insurgents get their fire arms and rockets. Industrial Manufacturers SELL ARMS TO INDEPENDANTS. the more arms they sell the more conflict and the more demand -both nationally and independantly. Democracys at war with eachother. none.
THE SHORTEST PATH TO WORLD PROSPERITY IS WORLD PEACE.
so -industry sells firearms -citizens without a clue carry guns in public -and i'm like some demon pariah cause i'm killing myself with Tobacco? Industry markets petroleum, sugar and red meat -known killers -and i'm special?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thiswhat are you? a boyscout? Always be prepared? do you ever wonder what to do about what you can't prepare for/ what are you a control freak?
ONE MAN'S MEAT IS ANOTHER MAN'S POISON
Life has been pretty damn miserable. How 'bout You? But I could always light one up and step out of the moment and say'hey! I can take on that task" It's a good herb.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thislost my locus-
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisok check the statistics. deaths and injuries from tobacco use VS deaths and injuries from car wrecks.. and they worry about smoking. its a joke
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI find it a bit perplexing that as soon as you mention one problem someone comes up with another they consider more difficult and/or more worthy of attemtion.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe fact is smoking tobacco is hazardous to the health of the smoker and innocent bystanders. The fact that we also have multinational weapons-making conglomerates who benefit from chaos and destruction does not make tobacco smoking any less insidious.
It is never and either or situation? We must do our best to eliminate war, while doing our best to get the nations to "beat their swords into ploughshares". There is everything right about seeking to educate people about the dangers of smoking tobacco.
And yes, there are some who would like to see marijuana legalized so that they can have another dangerous product with which they can destroy themselves. Others will fight back while at the same trying to bring about the total demise of smoking tobacco.
Nicotine is probably the most harmful and addictive drug commonly used by human beings. The tobacco companies are the most pernicious of all drug dealers and seem immune to any type of govermental intervention. The profits and payoffs have to be enormous.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSecond-hand smoke contributes to the continuance of addiction & smoking should be banned in all public places including the outdoors itself . In many countries one cannot stroll down the street while drinking liquor or even beer, still beaches and parks are littered with cigarette butts.
If one must smoke they should be doing it in their own home or at least on their own property and the tax on these products should be doubled to help defray the cost of the medical treatment nercessary to hospitalize and care for its many victims.