The DOH produces a video centering on the anti-smoking and anti-vaping campaign in line with the observance of the World No Tobacco Day. (Photo courtesy: Department of Health)
The Department of Health (DOH) confirmed the first documented death due to e-cigarette or vaping-use associated lung injury (EVALI) in the Philippines.
The case was recorded in Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in 2023 involving a 22-year-old Filipino male who had a two-year history of daily vape use prior to his death. He had an active lifestyle and had no previous health issues associated with known comorbidities.
According to the case report of Dr. Margarita Isabel Fernandez and other doctors of the PGH, the e-cigarette use of the patient primarily caused his acute lung injury given that he had no underlying risk factors other than vaping.
Because of this, the DOH is intensifying efforts to lessen the prevalence of tobacco and vape use, particularly among the youth.
“Ang Kagawaran ng Kalusugan ay nananawagan para sa ating sama-samang paglaban sa banta ng tabako at vape bilang tugon sa ating tungkulin bilang mga magulang at lider ng ating komunidad upang protektahan ang kalusugan at kinabukasan ng ating kabataan,” the national health department underscored.
(The Department of Health is calling upon everyone for our collective fight against the threat of tobacco and vape in response to our duty as parents and leaders of our communities in protecting the health and future of our youth.)
The burden of tobacco use in the Philippines
The Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) revealed that in 2021, the overall use of tobacco in the Philippines significantly decreased from 23.8 percent in 2015 to 19.5 percent in 2021.
The number of deaths that were attributed to tobacco also lessened from 18.2 percent in 2010 to 17.53 percent in 2019.
However, there is an increasing trend of ever vape use among the youth at 24.6 percent in 2019 from the previous 11.7 percent in 2015 as per the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS).
What the government has done to lessen the burden
To protect the youth population from the threat of tobacco industry interference, the DOH is actively campaigning for the promotion of a healthy and vice-free lifestyle.
This initiative is anchored on relevant policies that are aimed at mitigating the demand and supply of tobacco and vapor products as well as strengthening the regulation on the selling and use of these products.
One of the said policies is the Republic Act No. 9211, otherwise known as the Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003, which was complemented by Executive Order No. 26 in 2017 for the establishment of smoke-free environments in public spaces.
In particular, the executive order provided for the banning of selling, advertising, and promotion of cigarettes and other tobacco products within 100 meters from the perimeter of schools and other facilities frequented by minors.
It also directed the development of localized smoking cessation programs to improve the access of smokers to services that will help them quit the tobacco use.
The Metro Manila Center for Health Development (MMCHD), through the Regional Tobacco Control Network-Metro Manila (RTCN-MM) Metro Manila, is meanwhile engaging in multi-sectoral collaborations that will increase the health literacy of Filipinos to help them make responsible health decisions.
“Our duty is to increase healthy literacy through advocacy, information, and education,” said Health Education and Promotion Officer Reginald Santiago of the MMCHD Health Promotion Unit.
In line with this aim, the MMCHD is set to gather stakeholders from over 800 workplaces in Metro Manila to learn about the effective implementation of healthy workplace standards.
Related Story:
Metro Manila to host healthy workplaces summit in June
(https://www.pia.gov.ph/metro-manila-to-host-healthy-workplaces-summit-in-june/)
Aside from healthy workplaces, healthy learning institutions are also an essential component of a healthy community. The MMCHD is therefore planning to engage with public and private schools across the region to give orientation on the dangers of smoking and vaping as a means to reinforce health education.
The RTCN-MM is also spearheading the declaration of 100 percent smoke- and vape-free areas in the region starting from the stretch of the dolomite area of the Manila Bay in 2022.
“Tobacco products are among the most littered items, containing over 7,000 chemicals which leech into the environment when discarded,” said the RTCN-MM, citing that the initiative to make Manila Bay smoke-free is not only beneficial to public health but also to the health of the environment.
To date, the RTCN-MM is inclined to facilitate the declaration of historical and cultural heritage sites to be 100 percent smoke- and vape-free. This is in line with the goal of safeguarding the health of the public against secondhand smoking and vaping while preserving and conserving the country’s cultural assets.
This month of June, the country collectively observes the “National No Smoking Month” which gives an opportune time to raise awareness on the harmful effects of tobacco use.
While it is evident that the burden of tobacco use still remains in the Philippine setting, its prevalence can be gradually lessened through health literacy where every Filipino knows how to make smart and informed healthcare choices for their own well-being. (JMP/PIA-NCR)
