World No Tobacco Day

This year, healthcare professionals and activists worldwide will once again join forces to inform the public about the detrimental impact of the tobacco industry. Smoking is not just a bad habit; it is a global epidemic that claims up to 6 million lives annually, more than 600,000 of which are victims of secondhand smoke. World No Tobacco Day provides an opportunity to call for an end to the promotion and marketing of tobacco products worldwide. Tobacco consumption continues to be one of the most serious threats to the health of the planet's population. The lungs are the organ most affected by smoking. Every smoker's morning begins with a suffocating cough, accompanied by the expectoration of grayish, dirty brown sputum. Furthermore, if smoking is not abandoned, this pernicious habit can lead to pulmonary emphysema, bronchial asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It has been established that the risk of developing cancer is significantly higher in heavy smokers and those who started smoking early. Smoking provokes the development of various forms of cancer in humans: lung cancer, esophageal cancer, laryngeal cancer, stomach cancer, cervical cancer, etc. Today, the contingent of lung cancer patients has become much younger, due to the early age at which children and adolescents start smoking. Recently, a new trend has swept the globe – the use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS, vapes). The rates of electronic cigarette use among children in all regions are higher than among adults. However, this is not the case. Today, smoking is considered an anti-social habit worldwide, and millions of people are trying to adhere to a healthy lifestyle and quit smoking, as it has become fashionable. For all questions regarding the treatment of nicotine addiction, you can contact a psychiatrist-narcologist at your place of residence or at the Healthcare Institution "Vitebsk Regional Clinical Center for Psychiatry and Narcology" (tel. 61-45-76, 61-45-80).

Chief Physician of the State Institution "Miory District Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology" G.V. Fedukovich