No fewer than 146 million death in Africa annually have been linked to tobacco-related diseases, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said.

Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa said this on Thursday during a virtual press conference.

Moeti said tobacco was  the leading cause of preventable deaths in the world and emphasised that “smoking damages nearly every organ in the body.”

The director also said that “globally, exposure to secondhand smoke kills more than 1.2 million people yearly.”

She explained that the use of tobacco products other than cigarettes, such as vaporizers, was on the increase in Africa.

Moeti said that quitting tobacco was the way to reduce the risk of developing cancer, heart disease, stroke, and other diseases, noting that it would also increase one’s life expectancy.

She added that “quitting tobacco is hard but today is a good day to start.

“Make the decision to live a life controlled by you and not tobacco.

“It may seem impossible, or like smoking isn’t a big deal. But what you don’t do today may end up causing future health problems or, worse, premature death,” Moeti said.

She said that one in five adolescents in Africa now used tobacco, saying “this must change. Quit smoking and be a part of the solution.”

(NAN)