Dr. Santigie Sesay, Director NCD/MoH
By Ibrahim Sorie Koroma
Director at the Directorate of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health in the Ministry of Health, Doctor Santigie Sesay, while speaking at the World No Tobacco Day Commemoration Day ceremony at the Freetown City Council in Freetown on Friday 31st May, said that tobacco consumption among the public is attributed to 3,330 deaths annually in Sierra Leone, adding that this may not entirely be the cause of death, but a risk and motivating factor.
Dr Sesay reiterated that 900 of these lives lost are due to exposure to second-hand smoke, which could have been prevented. He added that 955,000 adults and 4,000 children aged 10-14 years, consume tobacco/tobacco products each year, which makes it worrisome, and this requires strong actions from all stakeholders.
While explaining the link between tobacco consumption, risk factors and cancers, Dr Sesay referenced that 4,125 new cancer cases were recorded between 2016-2018 in Sierra Leone, of which 3,002 died.
Talking of the risk factors of non-communicable diseases, Dr Sesay attributed tobacco consumption of all forms (smoking, chewing, sniffing, Shisha use) as the predisposing factor for heart attack, sudden cardiac death, respiratory infections, as compared to non-smokers, and blood pressure.
Educating on the effects of tobacco consumption, especially for pregnant women, Dr Sesay said that tobacco toxins can cause serious damage to blood vessels, narrowing and reducing the flow of blood to vital parts of the heart, causing bleeding during pregnancy, ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, stillbirth, cervical cancer, early menopause, increased menstrual disorders, impaired and erectile dysfunction in men.
Dr Sesay warned against second-hand smoke, stating that it is more dangerous than smokers, as it poses more severe health risks to non-smokers (silent consumers).
He concluded by calling for robust action by all stakeholders to implement the Nicotine and Tobacco Bill, as people are dying from tobacco smoke without even buying or smoking a stick of cigarette.
He continued that there are a lot of benefits to the Tobacco Control Policies, including Taxation, Smoke-Free Policies, and Advertising Restrictions, adding that Public Health Campaigns are also key components in both the Narcotic and Tobacco Bill and the WHO Framework Coordination on Tobacco Control (FCTC), are fully and effective implemented, 19,000 deaths could be averted over 15 years, 1.3 trillion economic loses could be avoided over 15 years.
The Regional Director of WHO, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, in his statement during the World No Tobacco Day Commemoration, applauded the progress made in the fight against tobacco use in Sierra Leone, especially with the enactment of the Narcotic and Tobacco Bill by the Parliament of Sierra Leone, and emphasized WHO’s position, encouraging countries to accelerated implementation of the WHO FCTC, with stringent measures on marketing new and emerging new tobacco and narcotic products, particularly designed to appeal to the youths, including shisha, e-cigarette, narcotic pouches, and others that are aggressively promoted through social media.
