Research into interplay between COVID-19 and smoking conducted by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has been questioned by scientists. The CSIR serosurvey reportedly suggested that smokers are at lower risk of contracting COVID-19 – but experts responded with doubts. The CSIR conducted a seroprevalence survey of 10,427 Indians, consisting of those working […]
tobacco
Tobacco users: WHO launches campaign to help them kick the habit
Yesterday, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched “Commit to Quit” – a campaign aimed to help tens of millions of tobacco users to quit. The campaign “will support at least 100 million people as they try to give up tobacco through communities of quitters”, the WHO says. The agency asserted that the campaign has heightened […]
Coronary heart disease deaths and tobacco: The link you need to know
Tobacco is responsible for more than twenty percent of coronary heart disease deaths, according to new findings from the World Health Organization (WHO). In a statement on the basis of a report examining this link, issued jointly by the WHO, the World Heart Federation and the University of Newcastle, Australia in advance of World Heart […]
Tobacco use: How it affects COVID-19
The effects of tobacco use on human health are well-documented – and there is a growing body of evidence surrounding the habit’s effect on those with COVID-19. Meanwhile, the tobacco industry has regularly been in the firing line for its conduct during the pandemic. On the occasion of World No Tobacco Day, observed on Sunday, […]
Tobacco advertising in High Court crosshairs
Tobacco advertising has been highlighted by the Delhi High Court, who have directed authorities to take action on the controversial and illegal practice. The High Court issued a notice to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; the Government of India; the state government in Delhi; the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights; […]
Tobacco tax: Will public health or smugglers benefit?
The imposition of an increased tobacco tax has seen companies take a hit in the wake of the 2020-21 Union Budget. Proposals made included raising the national calamity contingent duty (NCCD) on various tobacco products, though excluding bidis. For smoking material for cigarettes and pipes, an increase has been proposed to sixty percent compared to […]
Tobacco prices: Experts demand action
Tobacco is among the leading threats to public health in India. Between 1998 and 2015, the number of smokers in India increased from 79 million to 108 million. At present, fourteen percent of adults use smoking tobacco. 25.9 percent of adults use smokeless tobacco. Although fewer Indians are using tobacco today than at the start […]
Doctors’ concerns over e-cigarette ban
A fixture of the public health crisis since the announcement of the Government of India’s e-cigarette ban has been the expression of doctors’ concerns – and a number have been expressed since the ban was announced. Doctors’ concerns have been collated in a NewsVoir piece circulated by multiple outlets. “There is data available regarding e-cigarettes […]
Rajya Sabha MPs approve e-cigarette ban
The Government of India’s ban on e-cigarettes has won the approval of Rajya Sabha MPs, who passed legislation prohibiting the devices earlier this week amidst appeals over their negative effects on public health. The upper house of the Indian Parliament passed the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes (Production, Manufacture, Import, Export, Transport, Sale, Distribution, Storage and […]
A cigarette ban: Could it happen in India? NGOs are working to make it a reality.
Two non-government organisations (NGOs) are in the process of moving an appeal before the Supreme Court for India to enact a cigarette ban, in the wake of the Government’s prohibition of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS). Vaping became illegal in India in September with the promulgation of an ordinance by the Union Government, which has […]