Better access to vapes and other nicotine alternatives could save up to 616,000 lives in Nigeria and Kenya, a major new report has revealed.
According to the study ‘Saving 600,000 Lives in Nigeria and Kenya’ by global health group Smoke Free Sweden, 9.4 per cent of Nigerians currently smoke.
Each year, 26,900 Nigerians die from tobacco-related illnesses.
In Kenya, a huge 20.5 per cent of the population smoke, killing around 12,000 people per year.
The World Health Organization (WHO) projects that tobacco-related deaths will drop to 18,000 in Nigeria and 8,000 in Kenya annually by 2060 with measures currently in place, but health experts argue this number remains far too high.
Decreasing the number of deaths
The new report says the predicted death toll could be massively reduced by incorporating tobacco harm reduction (THR) into public health policymaking.
This would include making safer nicotine alternatives such as vapes, nicotine pouches and snus more easily available to people looking to give up smoking.
The research predicts that 400,000 lives could be saved in Nigeria, and 216,000 in Kenya.
“We have a clear opportunity to significantly reduce the burden of tobacco-related diseases in Nigeria,” said Derek Yach, one of the report’s authors and former leader of the Foundation for a Smoke Free World.
“By embracing safer alternatives like vapes and nicotine pouches, Nigeria can drastically lower tobacco-related deaths and help smokers quit more effectively. Tobacco harm reduction is the key to saving lives and improving public health in Nigeria.”
And regarding Kenya, he said: “Kenya can avoid unnecessary deaths by adopting these proven tools to complement existing tobacco control efforts. As Kenyan lawmakers consider a new tobacco bill, they have a unique opportunity.
“They should embrace a balanced tobacco control policy that includes both regulation of conventional tobacco products and access to safer alternatives for smokers looking to quit.“
The success of other countries
Countries such as Sweden, Japan and New Zealand have provided compelling evidence of what THR measures such as making vapes more accessible can achieve.
Earlier this month, Sweden became the first country in the world to officially be declared “smoke-free” (which means a smoking rate of less than five per cent). It credits its success with having promoted less harmful alternative products to people looking to quit smoking.
In June, Sweden reduced tax on snus by 20 per cent. The move followed a landmark report - ‘No Smoke, Less Harm’ - that proves nicotine use does not lead to tobacco-related disease, making it a powerful tool in smoking cessation.
The new report says: “THR products use nicotine without the deadly exposures that cause harm. THR products (e-cigarettes/vapes, heated tobacco products, snus, oral nicotine pouches, and e-shisha products are rapidly gaining traction among consumers world- wide.
“But these innovations have not yet been embraced by physicians and governments as key to cutting premature deaths.”
Malaysia and Uzbekistan
In May, Smoke Free Sweden released a similar report showing that 880,000 lives could be saved in Malaysia and Uzbekistan if THR products were included in public health strategy.
Smoking rates in Malaysia are set to increase from 29.7 per cent in 2020 to 30 per cent in 2025, with 18,000 lives being lost to tobacco-related illness annually by 2060.
In Uzbekistan, the WHO estimates that the annual number of deaths linked to smoking will average 20,000 by 2060.
