Government Urged To Ban Manufacturing Of All Tobacco Products Amidst Covid-19 Pandemic

By Chileshe Mwango

The Tobacco Free Association of Zambia –TFAZ- has called on government to ban all tobacco products and stop tobacco manufacturing in the country as the sale and production of tobacco products increases people’s vulnerability to the corona virus.

The association has also reminded tobacco users and those handling tobacco products that they are more susceptible to severe symptoms of the virus than non-tobacco users.

Association Executive Director Brenda Chitindi says as government is mitigating the covid-19 pandemic, it should also be cautious of the tactics that powerful tobacco industry uses and that it should not ignore the fact that the cost of treating diseases caused by tobacco are far much higher than the revenue derived from tobacco taxes.

Ms. Chitindi says the need for banning anything that weakens people’s lungs defense, cannot be overemphasized and tobacco use having been identified as a major cause of the progression of covid-19 pneumonia, government should heed to the call for banning the sale, manufacturing and growing of tobacco in Zambia.

International health experts have warned that the use of tobacco products leads to the progression of the corona virus and pneumonia as it weakens lung defense.

And according to the world health organization (WHO), a study in china where covid-19 originated, showed that people who have cardiovascular and respiratory conditions caused by tobacco use are at higher risk of developing severe covid-19 symptoms.

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