Restrict hazardous products, says tobacco control

By SANDRA MACHIMAGOVERNMENT must be steadfast in ensuring public health remains priority in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, says African Tobacco Control Alliance (ATCA) executive secretary Leonce Sessou.He commended African governments for taking bold initiatives to contain the spread of the pandemic.Mr Sessou said Government required support in the fight against covid-19 and that all hazardous products must not condoned during this time to safe guard the health of people.He said Africa must stop the tobacco industry from exploiting the Covid-19 crisis to grow its business.He said tobacco use was known to have a considerable impact on lung health, associated with several respiratory diseases.Mr Sessou said smoking was detrimental to the immune system and its responsiveness to infections, making smokers more vulnerable to infectious diseases.And Tobacco Free Association in Zambia chairperson, Brenda Chitindi, appealed to Government to ban all illicit products that were hazardous to health.Ms Chitindi said the fight against COVID-19 would be more efficient if all the products that were not good for health were restricted in the country.