KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 17

The World Health Organisation today launched 'Quit Tobacco App' to help people kick the cigarette butt and give up use of tobacco in all forms - including smokeless and other newer products.

'Tobacco is deadly in every form. Innovative approaches such as this app are much needed to support people give up tobacco, which they may be aware is harmful, but are unable to quit for various reasons,' said Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, regional director, WHO South-East Asia Region in a press release circulated by WHO Nepal. The app, the first such by WHO, and the first that targets all forms of tobacco, helps users identify the triggers, set their targets, manage cravings, and stay focused on quitting tobacco.

Tobacco is the world's leading cause of preventable death, and kills nearly eight million people every year. It claims 1.6 million lives in the WHO South-East Asia Region, which is among the largest producers and consumers of tobacco products.

Tobacco use is a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases (NCD) including cancers, cardiovascular diseases, chronic lung diseases and diabetes. Tobacco users are also at higher risk of complications and severe disease in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. With a focused approach towards tobacco control, as part of the regional flagship to reduce NCD burden, countries have been accelerating implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and MPOWER package, a set of six cost-effective and high impact measures to reduce demand and supply of tobacco and tackle the tobacco epidemic.

As per the WHO Global Report on Trends in Prevalence of Tobacco Use 2000-2025 (4th edition, 2021) WHO South-East Asia Region recorded the fastest decline in tobacco use, but continued to have the highest 432 million tobacco users, or 29 per cent of its population. The Region has 266 million smokeless tobacco users of the 355 million globally.

The growing use of new and emerging products such as Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems/ E-Cigarettes, sheesha/hukkah are additional challenges to tobacco control.

The region has expanded tobacco surveillance to monitor tobacco use prevalence and tobacco control policies. Thailand was the first in Asia to implement Plain Packaging. Timor-Leste, Nepal, Maldives, India, and Sri Lanka have implemented large-sized graphic health warnings on tobacco packs. Six countries have banned ENDS (electronic cigarettes). Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka are working towards moving tobacco farmers away from growing tobacco.

Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Timor-Leste have established and scaled-up tobacco cessation services.

A version of this article appears in the print on February 18, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.