Neil thank for sharing this WHO position on Vaping.
The Key W.H.O. messages for me should guide our discussion on this topic, especially when children and minors are talked about:
i) it 'should not be promoted as a cessation aid until adequate evidence is available'
ii) E-cigarettes do not contain tobacco but are harmful to health and are not safe.
iii) 'ENDS use increases the risk of heart disease and lung disorders. They also pose significant risks to pregnant women who use them, as they can damage the growing fetus.’
iv) 'ENDS/ENNDS should not be promoted as a cessation aid until adequate evidence is available and the public health community can agree upon the effectiveness of those specific products. Where ENDS and ENNDS are notbanned, WHO recommends that the products be regulated in accordance with 4 key objectives: prevent initiation of ENDS/ENNDS by non-smokers, minors andvulnerable groups; minimize health risks for ENDS/ENNDS users and protect non-users from exposure to their emissions; prevent unproven health claims being made about ENDS/ENNDS; and protect tobacco control from all commercial and other vested interests related to ENDS/ENNDS, including interests of thetobacco industry’
Joseph Ana
HIFA profile: Joseph Ana is the Lead Senior Fellow/Medical Consultant at the Centre for Clinical Governance Research and Patient Safety in Calabar, Nigeria, established by HRI Global (former HRIWA). He is a member of the World Health Organisation’s Technical Advisory Group on Integrated Care in primary, emergency, operative, and critical care (TAG-IC2). As the Cross River State Commissioner for Health, he led the introduction of the Homegrown Quality Tool, the 12-Pillar Clinical Governance Programme, in Nigeria (2004-2008). For sustainability, he established the Department of Clinical Governance, Servicom & e-health in the Cross River State Ministry of Health, Nigeria. His main interest is in whole health sector and system strengthening in Lower, Low and Middle Income Countries (LLMICs). He has written six books on the 12-Pillar Clinical Governance programme, suitable for LLMICs, including the TOOLS for Implementation. He served as Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association’s Standing Committee on Clinical Governance (2012-2022), and he won the Nigeria Medical Association’s Award of Excellence on three consecutive occasions for the innovation. He served as Chairman, Quality & Performance, of the Technical Working Group for the implementation of the Nigeria Health Act 2014. He is member, National Tertiary Health Institutions Standards Committee of the Federal Ministry of Health. He is the pioneer Secretary General/Trustee-Director of the NMF (Nigerian Medical Forum) which took the BMJ to West Africa in 1995. Joseph is a member of the HIFA Steering Group and the HIFA working group on Community Health Workers. (http://www.hifa.org/support/members/joseph-0 http://www.hifa.org/people/steering-group). Email: info AT hri-global.org and jneana AT yahoo.co.uk
