According to Baotintuc, Dr. Angela Pratt, chief representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Vietnam, shared the dangers of e-cigarettes at the meeting.
At an event on December 21 to inform the media and the public about the harms of tobacco and non-communicable disease control, co-hosted by Healthbridge and the World Health Organization Vietnam Alliance, health experts expressed concerns that e-cigarettes are strongly invading young people. Groups, especially children, may be most vulnerable to the temptation of e-cigarettes.
Dr. Nguyễn Tuấn Lâm, a WHO expert in Vietnam, warned that children may be tempted by their peers to use e-cigarettes at school, and we cannot confirm whether they contain synthetic drugs. Worryingly, parents sometimes lose control of the situation and are unable to stay with their children long enough to monitor.
According to the World Health Organization, e-cigarettes have been widely promoted to teenagers through social media and influencers. Among them, children are a specific target. E-cigarettes are promoted with cartoon characters, at least 16,000 flavors are provided, and e-cigarettes are treated like toys, candies and school supplies.
Dr. Angela Platt believes that the increase in the use of e-cigarette products among teenagers is because these products contain nicotine, which is highly addictive and can have adverse effects on brain development.
Because e-cigarette products also contain harmful substances that e-cigarettes emit that have been shown to cause cancer, long-term heart and lung disease, and other health problems. Recently, the Director-General of the WHO also called on countries to take urgent action to prevent and protect children from e-cigarettes.
