Dr. Rubeena Anjum
“We don’t have a choice to live without covid-19 but we can make a choice to live without tobacco.”
Killing more than 8 million people annually, tobacco has a huge impact on the health of an individual and the society. It not only is responsible for the fatalities but also responsible for increased risk of pulmonary diseases, cardiovascular diseases and 25% of all cancers globally.
COVID 19 on the other hand is the current pandemic which has gripped the human race. Its presumable origin is the Wuhan, China. Exact aetiologyof this disease remains unclear and is thought to be zoonotic (animal to human) and bats may be responsible for its transmission to humans.Symptoms of COVID 19 include fever, dry cough, fatigue and occasionally gastrointestinalsymptoms and the spread is presumed to be by droplet infection.
No Tobacco Day during COVID-19 Pandemic
The day is celebrated annually on May 31st to raise awareness about the ill-effects of tobacco on human health for past many years. WHO is tryingto increase awareness by organizing campaign’s against tobacco use. In the year 2019 their campaign was titled “Tobacco use and Lung Health” with main points listed under.
* Negative impact the tobacco has on the people’s lung health, from cancer to chronic lung disease.
* Fundamental role lungs play for the health and well-being of all people
It is not a year that deleterious effects of tobacco related to lung health were outlined, they were there already, but now we are dealing with the situation where a pandemic has shown its effects on the respiratory system causing so much fatalities. This clearly indicates how dangerous this combo can be for human race.
COVID 19 and Forms of Tobacco:
Smoking:
Tobacco smoking has a deleterious effect on the lung health and is a well-known factor for diseases of the lungs. On the contrary COVID 19the current pandemic directly affects the respiratory system and the lungs. So, a weak respiratory system means less protection from the noval virus and a greater chance of fatality.It has also been estimated that smokers with COVID 19 had a greater chance of getting admitted to intensive care unit, requiring mechanical ventilation and suffering several other health consequences.
Smokeless Tobacco
Chewing tobacco is often related to oral cancers, discolouration of teeth and various gum related problems. However, direct impact of smokeless form of tobacco is not mentioned but it may play a vital role in spread of the virus. People who use smokeless forms of tobacco are often seen spiting everywhere which may lead to the contamination of the surrounding and thus increase the spread of the infection.
General Guidelines issued by WHOagainst Covid 19
* Regularly wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or an alcohol based hand rub.
* Maintain a distance of 1 meter.
* Avoid crowded places
* Avoid touching nose, eyes and mouth.
* Stay home
* If symptoms are present- self isolate,
* If the symptoms increase- quarantine and get tests done for COVID 19
Rules implemented by government against tobacco during COVID 19
* Sale of tobacco and tobacco products was banned in various parts of the country
* Restriction on use of tobacco products in public places.
* Fine on Spitting in Public Places, hospitals etc.
Does nicotine provide some protection against COVID 19 ?
Recently some claims were made linking use of nicotine for the prevention of COVID 19 but WHO in its statement rejected these claims and even if a treatment is found related to nicotine it does not mean that smoking cigarettes or use of gutka will lower the risk. WHO in its statement clearly mentioned “There is currently insufficient data to link relation between tobacco/nicotine in the prevention and treatment of COVID 19”
Living with the COVID 19
Till now we are unable to find a definitive treatment for this disease, certain drugs and combination of drugs have been used for treating the deadly disease but a treatment with 100% accuracy still seems to be far away. So we need to improve our immune system and abide with the guidelines to fight with the pandemic. Tobacco use will definitely decrease our chances to fight against the virus and should be stopped and all necessary steps should be taken to restrict it further spread.
(The author is working as Professor and Head, Department of Oral Pathology, Indira Gandhi Govt. Dental College, Jammu)
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