World No Tobacco Day highlights dangers of smoking [1]
Monday, May 31, 2021 - 18:58. Updated on Monday, May 31, 2021 - 19:04.
The benefits of stopping smoking improve over time. Graphic: WHO.
Smoking causes 8 million deaths a year, and now smokers have a greater risk of developing a severe case and dying from COVID-19, says the World Health Organization (WHO) today on World No Tobacco Day, drawing attention to the dangers of using tobacco, and the preventable death and disease it causes.
Under the theme ‘Commit to quit’ the WHO launched a year-long global campaign aimed at helping 100 million people quit tobacco use through various initiatives and digital tools available on their website [2].
Tools include a Quitting Toolkit, a pledge to quit smoking, an Artificial Intelligence digital health worker Florence [3], a tollfree hotline, tips to quit smoking, and more.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said smokers have up to a 50% higher risk of developing severe disease and death from COVID-19, so quitting is best thing smokers can do to lower their risk from this coronavirus, as well as the risk of developing cancers, heart disease and respiratory illnesses.
“We urge all countries to play their part by joining the WHO campaign and creating tobacco-free environments that give people the information, support and tools they need to quit, and quit for good.”
The benefits of quitting tobacco are almost immediate. According to WHO, after just 20 minutes of quitting smoking, your heart rate drops.
Within 12 hours, the carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal. Within 2-12 weeks, your circulation improves and lung function increases. Within 1-9 months, coughing and shortness of breath decrease. Within 5-15 years, your stroke risk is reduced to that of a non-smoker. Within 10 years, your lung cancer death rate is about half that of a smoker.
Within 15 years, your risk of heart disease is that of a non-smoker.
World No Tobacco Day was created in 1987 by the Member States of the World Health Organization.