Dangers of smoking
IF indeed the country’s lawmakers have the heart and mind for the good health of the Filipino people, they ought to come up with substantial and meaningful tobacco legislation.
Hopefully, a news report listing the “dangers” of smoking raises the cue for concerned government authorities to pick up the ball while the COVID-19 pandemic terrorizes the world.
Dr. Delyuzar M. Ked, a lecturer at the University of North Sumatra, said smoking cigarettes could lower immunity and increases the risk of being exposed to the dreaded virus.
A member of the North Sumatra Regional Research Council, Ked said smoking also reduces the movement of vibrating hairs (cilia) in the respiratory tract, raising susceptibility to chronic infections.
“Hence, if you are infected with COVID-19, you will be susceptible to respiratory tissue disorders, with more severe symptoms,” according to the university lecturer.
Not only that. Cigarette smoking also disrupts blood vessels and increases the risk of their narrowing that can hinder heart functioning or cause coronary artery disorders.
In addition, other blood vessel disorders could cause heart attacks or narrowing of the heart muscle tissue or called myocardial infarction or MCI.
By 2030, reports said that some 70 percent of deaths caused by smoking will occur in developing countries across the globe.
A major headache of government and health authorities throughout the world, including impoverished Philippines, smoking causes emphysema, lung cancer and other illnesses.
A welcome news, the warning of Dr. Ked must encourage the authorities, including members Congress, to intensify the nationwide campaign against smoking.
