Tobacco kills up to half of its users.

Leading cause of death, illness and impoverishment

The tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced, killing more than 7 million people a year. More than 6 million of those deaths are the result of direct tobacco use while around 890 000 are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke.

Around 80% of the 1.1 billion smokers worldwide live in low- and middle-income countries, where the burden of tobacco-related illness and death is heaviest. Tobacco users who die prematurely deprive their families of income, raise the cost of health care and hinder economic development.

In some countries, children from poor households are frequently employed in tobacco farming to provide family income. These children are especially vulnerable to “green tobacco sickness”, which is caused by the nicotine that is absorbed through the skin from the handling of wet tobacco leaves.

Source: world health organisation

Use of Tobacco in Nigeria

Tobacco harms the health, the treasury, and the spirit of Nigeria. Every year, more than 16100 of its people are killed by tobacco-caused disease. Still, more than 25000 children (10-14 years old) and 3527000 adults (15+ years old) continue to use tobacco each day. Complacency in the face of the tobacco epidemic insulates the tobacco industry in Nigeria and ensures that tobacco’s death toll will grow every year. Tobacco control advocates must reach out to other communities and resources to strengthen their efforts and create change.

Source: The Tobacco Atlas  https://tobaccoatlas.org/country/nigeria/

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