Asthma and premature births down 10% thanks to the smoking ban

The ban of smoking in public places has helped to reduce premature births and severe child childhood asthma attacks by 10%, according to research from Europe and the United States and published in the medical journal Lancet.

“Our research shows that smoking bans are an effective way to protect the health of our children,” said Jasper Been of the University of Edinburgh’s Centre for Population Health Sciences, who led the study.

He says their findings should hopefully result in anti-smoking laws being implemented in those cities, countries and districts that do not currently have such restrictions in place.

The smoking ban was introduced in England in 2007, making it illegal to smoke in all enclosed public places such as restaurants, nightclubs, bars, restaurants and shopping centres. The ban has previously been shown to be highly effective at protecting people from the serious health problems associated with passive (secondhand) smoking, with a 5% drop in asthma hospital emergencies in the years following the ban.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) say tobacco is responsible for the deaths of six million people around the world annually. Over 600,000 of these deaths are not even people who smoke, but those who have died due to heavy exposure to secondhand smoke. Health experts have predicted the worldwide death toll will rise to eight million by 2030 if current trends are kept up.

According to WHO, alarmingly there is just 16% of the world’s population that feel the benefits of being protected by comprehensive smoke-free laws, with a shocking 40% of children around the world being regularly exposed to secondhand smoke.

The new research in the Lancet, involved researchers from the University of Edinburgh, Maastricht University, Hasselt University in Belgium, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital analysing data from over 2.5 million births and around 250,000 hospital visits in relation to asthma attacks and is the first comprehensive study assess exactly how anti-smoking legislation has impacted children’s health.

Co-author Professor Aziz Sheikh, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, in Boston, Massachusetts, and the University of Edinburgh, says there is still a huge opportunity to improve the health of more children around the world.

“The many countries that are yet to enforce smoke-free legislation should in the light of these findings reconsider their positions on this important health policy question.”

There has never been a better time to quit smoking than now following a massive price reduction on a wide range of products and medications, and this includes the smoking cessation treatment Champix. For example, an online consultation for the Champix starter pack was £75, but this has now come down to just £38.95.For those already in possession of a private prescription, the price is even lower, at just £27.48!

Ireland to join Australia in having plain cigarette packets

‘Ban tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship’ is the theme of this year’s World No Tobacco Day according to the World Health Organization (WHO) – a specialised United Nations agency responsible for monitoring public health and also the pioneers of other world health awareness days such as World AIDS Day and Blood Donor Day.

Therefore, ahead of tomorrow’s World No Tobacco Day, Ireland Health Minister James Reilly has announced plans for the Republic of Ireland to follow Australia’s lead and become only the second country to adopt plain-packaging for cigarettes.

Australia became the world’s first country to implement this innovative anti-smoking agenda back in December 2012. The legislation forced all tobacco company logos to be banned from packages and instead replaced by bland, dreary green/brown-coloured packaging with unpleasant warning text and an accompanying image designed to shock smokers into quitting smoking.

Dr Reilly spoke on Tuesday saying there had been government approval for the go-ahead to abolish what he describes as a ‘mobile advertisement’ for tobacco companies who he says use intelligent marketing, with packet sizes, colour and style aimed at luring in younger smokers, particularly girls.

“The introduction of standardised packaging will remove the final way for tobacco companies to promote their deadly product in Ireland. Cigarette packets will no longer be a mobile advertisement for the tobacco industry”, he commented.

For Dr Reilly, the issue of smoking and what tragic health impacts it can have is a subject close to home. The Health Minister revealed he had witnessed first-hand the effects of tobacco after his brother died of lung cancer and his father lost his sight following a stroke. Both were smokers.

Dr Reilly also says that 5,200 people die in Ireland each year from tobacco-related diseases. He said: “One in two of all smokers will die from their addiction. I lost a brother who was a doctor, who understood fully what the cigarettes did, who was so addicted he couldn’t give them up. And my father was prematurely blind because of a stroke and spent the last 14 years of his life without being able to see.”

The decision to press ahead with plain packaging was agreed by a massive majority of the Cabinet on Tuesday and the aim is to make the products look less appealing and health warnings more obvious and alarming to smokers.

Minister Reilly says he is fully aware that tobacco companies will try every trick in the book in an attempt to thwart a plan that could potentially lose them a lot of money.

Unfortunately, not everyone thinks the idea of plain packaging is a good move and some believe it will have little effect on its apparent purpose – to reduce smoking rates.

The National Federation of Retail Newsagents Ireland President Joe Sweeney says the only groups who will benefit from the Minister’s announcement will be smugglers and criminals.

Mr Sweeney warned: “I support the government in its efforts to curtail the use of tobacco and alcohol. In doing this though, it must seek to find a balance between regulating harmful but legal, taxed behaviour and driving consumers into the black market to buy illicit products from criminals and subversives whose activities pose an even greater threat to society. The Minister for Health is sticking his head in the sand on policies towards the tobacco black market in Ireland which are putting retailers out of business. At a time when at least one in four cigarettes smoked in Ireland is illegal, the Minister’s failure to address the growing criminal fuelled trade in tobacco products shows a breath-taking lack of joined-up thinking.”

However, Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, Faculty of Public Health Medicine spokesman Dr Fenton Howell welcomed the news, saying: “Plain packaging will stop the tobacco industry from using the pack as a marketing tool to mislead another generation of young people into thinking that smoking is cool and fashionable, when in reality cigarettes makes addicts of our children and condemns them to a life of unnecessary illness and death 10-15 years ahead of time.”

Careless Brits dying from Malaria

Whilst we would like to think that we are well educated as regards the risks of contracting malaria when travelling, recent statistics show that many Brits are failing to take the necessary precautions. As a result of this there has been a steady increase since 2007 of Brits contracting malaria whilst abroad.

According to the Health Protection Agency (HPA) the cases of British citizens contracting malaria has increased by over 33% from 2010 to 2011, and more worrying still is the amount of deaths caused by malaria which has nearly doubled.

The reasons for this are many and varied, there has been a large increase in the amount of British people travelling to more exotic locations such as India and West Africa. Added to that is the fact that every year around 2000 Brits come back to the UK suffering from malaria due to not taking any malaria medications.

The reason behind these worrying figures seems to be a lack of education regarding malaria and how dangerous, even how fatal it can be. Some British people do not even realise that they are even entering a malaria zone whilst others do realize but don’t consider malaria to pose a serious threat to their health. Then there are those that think that applying insect spray or sleeping under a mosquito net will be sufficient.

Some people are worried about the possible side effects of anti malaria drugs so avoid taking them, others mistakenly believe that because they have had malaria before or because they have lived in a malaria zone years earlier that they are immune. Another reason is people failing to finish the course of malaria treatment, Malarone for example needs to be taken for seven days after returning.

The NHS advises that if travelling abroad to seek your GP’s advice on which medicine is most suited to both yourself, to where you are going and to make sure your children are given the appropriate paediatric dose. The advice is to also take precautions to avoid getting bit in the first place, this can be done by using an insect repellent (containing 50% deet), using a mosquito net when asleep, keeping bare skin covered up and avoiding being outside between dusk and dawn, the time when mosquitoes are most active.

The Health Protection Agency has stressed the point however that none of these preventative measure can guarantee that you will not get bit, and whilst these measures are certainly worth taking it must be remembered that just one bite is enough to contract malaria.

Therefore this stresses the importance of taking anti malaria drugs, which if taken correctly for the full course can protect you from this potentially fatal disease. Malaria is a completely preventable disease for Britains travelling abroad according to the World Health Organisation, it seems however all that is needed to prevent further Britains contracting malaria is better education.

Brits risk eyesight as survey reveals majority in the dark

· Loss of vision costs the UK more than £20 billion per year [1]
· Every day around 100 people in the UK start to lose their sight [2]
· By the age of 65, 1 in 6 will become blind or partially sighted[3]
Taking regular eye tests will help address these problems – improving the nation’s health and significantly reducing costs of a cash strapped NHS.

Despite two thirds of people in the UK claiming they know how to look after their sight, the majority of Brits are still in the dark about eye care, according to a new global health survey released today.

One of the key issues to emerge from the results is that most people don’t realise eye tests can pick up serious medical conditions such as diabetes years before symptoms emerge in other parts of the body.
Over half of those asked (63%) think that because they don’t have health symptoms there is no need to get their eyes tested, while one in three believe that if they can see, their eyesight is fine. According to the World Health Organisation approximately 80% of visual impairment is preventable[4] yet almost 20% of UK respondents said their last eye examination was over three years ago or that they had never had an eye test.

Doctor Rob Hicks, commented: “The results show that people clearly value vision but don’t do much to protect their eye sight. The key reason people don’t get their eyes tested is because they don’t believe they have any symptoms – they can see so their eyes are fine. We need to correct this misconception. Getting regular eye examinations not only helps improve one’s vision, but can also provide early detection of other serious diseases years before a patient displays other symptoms. The majority of visual impairments are preventable when caught and treated early.”

Paul Hurrell, Vice President Vision Care, Northern Europe, Bausch + Lomb added: “Currently people are not taking the necessary steps to protect their eyesight. We hope the results of this survey will draw attention to what is a significant public health issue. We are committed to helping eye care professionals further educate patients about the importance of regular eye tests.”

Key findings:

- Over a quarter (28%) of Brits are gambling with the sight and general health by not going for regular eye tests every 2 years (in line with NHS recommendations).
- Getting hitched is good for the eyes, with over half of married couples in the UK going for an eye test within the last 12 months, while 74% are more knowledgeable about eye care than singles at just 64%
- Women come out top in the battle of the sexes by taking far better care of their eyes, such as eating a healthy diet and wearing sunglasses, which is not surprisingly confirmed by 94% of UK opticians
- If forced to choose, Brits would rather lose almost anything else, such as their sense of taste, hearing or salary, with 76% preferring to lose a limb than their eyesight
- Younger Brits (aged 18 to 24) are most likely to believe all common eye myths compared to the older population (aged 55+).

Regional variations:

- Those living in Tyne Tees are most likely to have regular eyes tests, with 77% attending every two years (in line with NHS recommendations).
- Londoners are the worst in the UK for getting their eyes tested, only 63% have had an eye appointment within the past 2 years.
- Scots are least likely to be put off by the cost of eye care, with only 28% citing this as a reason not to go, compared with 57% in Tyne Tees.
- Those in the Midlands are least aware of the dangers that smoking (52%) and obesity (70%) pose to their sight.
- Those in Yorkshire are most likely to sacrifice a limb (79%) or their sense of taste (93%) for their sight!

Press contact:
Stephanie Robertson / Stacey Blevins
Weber Shandwick on Behalf of Bausch + Lomb
Tel 07809 665773 / 07909 891498
srobertson@webershandwick.com / sblevins@webershandwick.com
About the Barometer of Global Eye Health:

The Global Eye Health Barometer surveyed more than 11,000 people in 11 representative countries (U.S., Germany, France, Italy, Spain Brazil, U.K., China, Japan, Russia and India), benchmarking people’s habits, and perceptions around eye health. Bausch + Lomb collaborated with more than 140 eye health professionals from 26 countries to construct the global eye health barometer to ensure the results provided information to better understand people’s knowledge and behaviors regarding eye health. The findings will be used to inform and augment existing educational programming and shared with eye health advocates from around the globe – helping people distinguish between fact and myth and encourage better eye health. With these survey results Bausch + Lomb is uniquely positioned to call attention to the significant public health issue on a global level and to empower eye health professionals, third party organizations and critical influencers to develop sustainable solutions for patients.

About Bausch + Lomb
Headquartered in Rochester, Bausch + Lomb was founded in 1853 and employs approximately 11,000 people worldwide. Bausch + Lomb is solely dedicated to eye health – manufacturing contact lenses, lens solutions, ophthalmic pharmaceuticals, over-the counter medicines, surgical equipment, inter-ocular lenses (IOLs) and other eye surgery products. Bausch + Lomb products are sold in more than 100 countries

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[1] RNIB study, 2008 http://www.rnib.org.uk/aboutus/Research/reports/prevention/Pages/fsluk1.aspx
[2] Action for Blind People, 2003 data on new registrations, http://www.actionforblindpeople.org.uk/about-us/media-centre/facts-and-figures-about-issues-around-sight-loss/
[3] Fight for Sight, 2010, http://www.pruprotect.co.uk/conditions/ (then click on ‘Eye’)
[4] WHO Elimination of Avoidable Blindness. Report by the Secretariat. Geneva 2003

Diesel fumes are a major cancer risk according to The World Health Organisation

Diesel exhaust fumes can cause cancer and should be reclassified into the same deadly category as asbestos and mustard gas, according to The World Health Organisation. The International Agency for Research on Cancer released a statement yesterday saying that there are huge number of people breathing in diesel fumes and that the status of it should be altered from ‘probably carcinogen’ as it was declared back in 1989, to ‘carcinogen’.

Experts and health officials now argue there is enough evidence to show that consistent exposure to diesel fumes is just as damaging as passive smoking, in terms of causing cancer and that governments all around the world should consider action on how to effectively ‘clean up’ the fumes from vehicle exhausts.

This comes after a week-long series of meetings by an expert panel selected by the IARC, who studied new scientific evidence that showed diesel fumes should be in the same category of risk as arsenic, asbestos, alcohol, tobacco and mustard gas.  It is thought that particles in an exhaust can trigger inflammation in the lungs, and then lead to lung cancer. Kurt Straif, director of the IARC, indicated that groups particularly at risk include lorry drivers, railway workers, mechanics, miners, ship passengers and crew, those operating heavy machinery and even just pedestrians.

Dr Lesley Walker, director of cancer information at Cancer Research UK, gave her opinion on the latest developments, “This report, from an international panel of experts, sends a clear message that diesel fumes can cause lung cancer. The evidence of harmful health effects of diesel, particularly for people exposed to high levels through their jobs, has been accumulating for many years. But, the overall number of lung cancers caused by diesel fumes is likely to be a fraction of those caused by smoking tobacco. In the UK there are already guidelines in place to protect employees from the harmful effects of diesel fumes. Employers and workers should take appropriate action to minimise exposure in the workplace.”

The furore has been met with some disdain with some car and truck manufacturers around the world, who argue that the diesel fuel engines on their vehicles are continually being refined and that the fumes should have a less high-risk classification because of tighter emission standards. Moreover, Professor Ken Donaldson from the University of Edinburgh, says that cigarette smoke is still far more deadly. He says, “For the man on the street, nothing has changed. It’s a known risk but a low one for the average person, so people should go about their business as normal, you could wear a mask if you want to, but who wants to walk around all the time with a mask on?”

At Medical Specialists Pharmacy, we are well aware of the dangers that smoking and second-hand smoking can cause to a person’s health. Back in March we studied the links between smoking and asthma, and back in 2011 we looked at the connections between smoking and birth defects. If you would like help in stopping smoking, Medical Specialists Pharmacy provide medication for this. ‘Champix’ is a prescription medication that mimics the effect of nicotine on the body, reducing the urge to smoke and relieving withdrawal symptoms. It can also decrease the enjoyment you experience of smoking if you are still smoking whilst on the treatment. Studies have shown 44% smokers who used champix on a daily basis where able to quit smoking.