Giuseppe Gorini, Luke Clancy, Esteve Fernandez and Silvano Gallus Current evidence suggests that an association exists between smoking and COVID-19 severity, in line with recent research which has shown that smoking is associated with increased risk of acute respiratory distress syndrome. Moreover, a study based on 1099 COVID-19 patients showed that 31.7% of patients […]
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Smokeless tobacco use and the COVID-19 pandemic
The use of tobacco products is of particular concern during the COVID-19 pandemic. Head and neck surgeons Dr Arjun Singh and Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi argue that smokeless tobacco use requires attention to help stop the spread of the disease. Since late 2019, the world has witnessed the spread of a pandemic affecting the respiratory […]
COVID-19 and smoking: resources, research and news
This page provides resources, research and news reports about COVID19 and smoking, vaping and other tobacco products for the information of health professionals, researchers and the general public. (Last updated 9 September 2020) Tobacco Control & BMJ publications COVID-19, smoking and inequalities: a study of 53 002 adults in the UK “…current smoking was independently […]
Covid-19 and smoking: the elephant in the room?
Kathryn Barnsley, Sukhwinder Singh Sohal For more on COVID-19 and smoking, see the Tobacco Control resources page Click here The role of smoking in the contraction, transmission and mortality rate of Covid-19 should be given research attention, and countries should allocate resources to health stimulus packages, scientific research, and actions to further reduce smoking rates. […]
Waterpipe Tobacco Smoking: A Potential Conduit of COVID-19
Mohammad Ebrahimi Kalan, Ziyad Ben Taleb, Mehdi Fazlzadeh, Kenneth D Ward, Wasim Maziak On New Year’s Eve 2019, the outbreak of a novel infectious respiratory disease (known as Coronavirus disease 2019; COVID-19) was reported in several patients with a history of exposure to the Huanan seafood market, in multiple hospitals in the city of Wuhan, […]
World: tobacco industry hydra’s many political investment heads
Isra Ahmad The tobacco industry has a history of financial investments (including lobbying) in political activity, impacting voter-based decision making on a global scale. A 2015 study from Oklahoma, USA found that legislators with the largest amounts of campaign contributions and gifts from tobacco lobbyists performed actions that were critical to advance tobacco industry objectives. […]
World: Tribute to Professor Teh-wei Hu, health and tobacco control economist
Last month, the global tobacco control community lost one of its great intellects. Professor Teh-wei Hu passed away on 3 February 2020, following a short illness. Professor Hu was an economist whose expertise and accomplishments helped to establish tobacco taxes as one of the most effective measures to reduce smoking. In a career spanning 50 […]
Foundation for a Smoke Free World is not complementary to public health efforts – it’s undermining them
Heather Lusardi, Anna Gilmore, Ulysses Dorotheo The Foundation for a Smoke-Free World (FSFW), established with almost US $1 billion from Philip Morris International, is essentially operating as a front group for Philip Morris International’s (PMI) interests. Unsurprisingly, therefore, overtures to the public health community have been repeatedly, firmly and publicly rejected: WHO has made clear […]
Denmark: a new era for tobacco control
Finn Edler von Eyben Public health in Denmark received an early Christmas present on 18 December 2019, when most political parties agreed on a new tobacco control plan for the country. The plan contains a raft of new measures, including plain packaging of tobacco products, a ban on point of sale advertising, strengthened smoke-free public […]
Mexico: cultural icons and giveaways for vaping advertising on Instagram
Guadalupe Ponciano-Rodríguez and Carlos Alberto Chávez Castillo Although they are legally forbidden in Mexico, Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) have increased in popularity, despite the fact that evidence about their potential harms and benefits is still evolving and contested. Vaping-related advertising on social media is increasing, particularly on platforms popular with young people. We recently […]