Smoking increases the risk of contracting the pandemic, says Dr. Murali Krishna Voonna, chief surgical oncologist and MD of Mahatma Gandhi Cancer Hospital and Research Institute, Visakhapatnam.
Tobacco chewing increases the urge to spit by eight times and COVID-19 being an airborne disease, the chances of its spread through spitting in public places is very high. The COVID-19 can cause severe infection in smokers with bad lungs and low pulmonary immunity and can cause high mortality, he said.
During the lockdown, smoking indoors increases the chances of second-hand smoking in the family members, Dr. Murali Krishna said in a statement on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day. The theme for 2021 is “Commit to quit”.
He appealed to all the smokers to take the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to quit the habit of smoking and chewing tobacco.
Tobacco use is a major preventable cause of premature death and disease worldwide. Nearly 80 lakh people globally, of whom 12 lakh people are in India, die every year due to tobacco use. It kills half of people, who use it. India is the second largest producer and consumer of tobacco products. Tobacco is attributed to 7% of deaths in the age group of 30 years and above. Total economic cost attributable to tobacco use from all diseases and deaths is more than ₹1 lakh crore, which is a huge burden on our country, he said.
Tobacco affects all systems and a major etiological factor for the NCD (Non-Communicable Diseases) like cardiovascular diseases, cerebrovascular accidents, cancer, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary diseases etc. More than 20% of global tuberculosis cases can be attributed to smoking. Second hand smoking affects children, family and friends.
Tobacco smoke has over 7,000 chemicals of which about 100 are proven to be carcinogenic. It’s never too late to quit smoking, says K.S. Phaneendra Kumar, consultant pulmonologist, KIMS ICON Hospital. People who quit get many benefits, he adds.
