Kamineni Hospitals organizes ‘Awareness Walk’ on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day
Hyderabad, 31st May 2022: Smoking tobacco, both active and passive, has taken on dangerous proportions for people all over the world, including in India. World Health Organization (WHO) has called up all countries to effectively counter this threat by raising the level of awareness about the dangers of tobacco consumption, and the life-threatening diseases it can spawn in its wake.
On the special occasion of ‘World No Tobacco Day’ on Tuesday, May 31, 2022, Kamineni Hospitals, LB Nagar, Hyderabad, organized a special ‘Awareness Walk’. More than 500 people enthusiastically participated in the event. The walk was organized to raise awareness of the harmful and deadly effects of tobacco use and second-hand smoke exposure, as well as to discourage the use of tobacco in any form.
The theme of World No Tobacco Day 2022 is “Protect the environment”, highlighting the fact that throughout its lifecycle, tobacco pollutes the planet and damages the health of people.
Recent studies have shown that smoking tobacco accounts for approximately 20 percent of male deaths and 5 percent of female deaths among Indians in the age group of 30-69 years. Nearly two-thirds of men and women who smoke tobacco can expect to die between the age of 30-69, compared with around 40 percent of non-smoking men and women who are similar in other ways.
Speaking on the occasion Dr. E Ravidra Reddy, Senior Pulmonologist, Kamineni Hospitals, LB Nagar, Hyderabad, said, “Millions of families are losing their income and productivity due to tobacco use and are suffering from a number of long-term and life-threatening diseases that have incurred huge medical costs. The use of tobacco products can lead to many diseases, ranging from mouth-throat-lung cancers to ulcers. Smoking in people with asthma not only increases the number of asthma attacks but also exacerbates the risks to life. The tar in cigarettes sticks to the skin and the inside of the lungs. The combination of tar and nicotine is toxic and causes many diseases. Smoke from burning tobacco emits 7,000 different chemicals. Tobacco can affect almost every organ in the body, and not just cause lung cancer.”
“As a healthcare expert, I would like to tell everyone to stay away from tobacco. It’s important that we raise the level of awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco. I request those who smoke to quit smoking and save yourself and your family,” said Dr. M. Swamy, Senior General Physician, Kamineni Hospitals.
So, how do we get rid of this habit? Medical experts say that it is difficult, but not impossible, to kick the butt. “Nicotine in tobacco becomes an addiction just like any other drug. Cigarettes, beedis, gutka and jardha all contain nicotine. Treatments are available to get rid of this habit. These therapies that use nicotine replacement therapy and non-nicotine medications are reliable and safe,” said Dr. E Ravindra Reddy.
People who have identified the need to break the habit of using tobacco products are achieving results by using more than one treatment modality, depending on their habits and severity, he added.
