Despite sustained efforts, there continues to be challenges associated with monitoring the use of tobacco. This is according to Coordinator of the Chronic Diseases Unit of the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Kavita Singh who has pointed out that most tobacco surveillance data are currently collected through surveys, which are costly and difficult to sustain.
This comes in the face of evidence that the prevalence of youth smokers are increasing which, according to Dr. Singh, translates to even higher smoking prevalence in adulthood.
She has informed that numerous studies have shown that if a child does not initiate smoking before the age of 15 years, they will most likely never develop the habit throughout the course of their entire life.
As such, she noted, this only serves to highlight the importance in implementing tobacco control regulations as quickly as possible.
Although Guyana was amongst the first to ratify the WHO –Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), to date, the revised legislation is still pending passage in the National Assembly. The findings of the national tobacco surveillance efforts in Guyana have implored policy-makers and other stakeholders to use the findings and advocate for stronger action in tobacco control measures such as ensuring the passage of the Tobacco Control Act.
However, it is recommended that the country ensure periodic implementation of surveys, under the Global Tobacco Surveillance System is conducted and that the data for key tobacco use indicators are included in the country’s national surveillance databases. To date, Tobacco remains the single legal leading cause of death worldwide accounting for more than 6 million deaths annually of which 600,000 are from second and third hand smoking. The lack of a comprehensive national cancer prevention and control plan in Guyana would suggest that policy makers seek alternative cost effective methods in reducing the burden that tobacco places on the health care sector. Moreover cancer is the fourth leading cause of premature mortality in Guyana with lung cancer sitting at fourth position among the leading types of cancers.
Dr Singh’s efforts to outline the need for stronger tobacco control in Guyana will also be published shortly in the World Health Organisation Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic 2017.