Undernutrition and tobacco use are major determinants of TB
globally. In 2021, of the 10.6 million people who fell ill with TB, 2.2 million
were attributable to undernutrition and nearly 0.7 million to tobacco smoking.
People who smoke tobacco have double the risk of TB disease, slower recovery,
and a higher risk of unfavourable TB treatment outcomes, including recurrence
of TB, death, and post-TB pulmonary and cardiovascular disease. Smoking
cessation during TB treatment can improve treatment outcomes and has been shown
to reduce the risk of TB infection and TB disease among household contacts as
well. Improving food security and reducing tobacco smoking globally will therefore
contribute significantly to the fight to end TB.
The theme of this year’s World No Tobacco Day campaign “Grow
food, not tobacco” provides an opportunity to highlight the critical role of
these interlinked determinants of health, including TB, and the need for
collective multisectoral action to address them. It encourages governments to
end subsidies for tobacco growing and use these savings to transform farming
practices to contribute to improved food security and nutrition.
“As we mark World No Tobacco Day, we urge countries to
strengthen collaboration between TB programmes and tobacco control programmes,
and with all relevant sectors in planning and implementation of holistic
people-centred services to reduce deaths and suffering due to TB and tobacco
smoking”, said Dr Tereza Kasaeva, Director of WHO’s Global Tuberculosis
Programme.
WHO’s End TB Strategy emphasises the need for action on TB
and comorbidities, including tobacco smoking. At the 2018 UN High Level Meeting
on TB, Member States committed to assuring health services that address tobacco
use as part of a comprehensive package of TB services. This requires close
partnership between TB programmes and tobacco control programmes, and the
engagement of all key stakeholders to scale up implementation of WHO
recommendations on TB and on tobacco cessation to meet this commitment. The WHO
Framework for collaborative action on TB and comorbidities provides guidance on
strengthening people-centred services for TB and comorbidities, including tobacco
smoking.
The upcoming second UN High-Level Meeting on TB provides an
opportunity to reaffirm and strengthen these commitments and accelerate
progress to end TB. In the context of increasing global food insecurity due to
climate change and international conflict, a shift from tobacco farming towards
growing sustainable food crops can significantly impact the health and
wellbeing of populations. This requires linkages beyond the health sector,
something which is emphasised in WHO’s Multisectoral Accountability Framework
for TB, currently being rolled out in several countries. Sustained efforts to
reduce tobacco smoking and improve global food security can contribute to
ending TB and achieving Health for All, and to progress towards the Sustainable
Development Goals.
World No Tobacco Day is commemorated on 31 May to draw
global attention to the tobacco epidemic and the preventable suffering,
disease, and deaths it causes.
Source : WHO
