WHO Misinformation ‘Harming Public Health and Turning South African Smokers Away From Lifesaving Vapes’ – New Poll

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, May 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The World Vapers’ Alliance and Vaping Saved My Life have condemned the results of a new poll showing 78% of smokers in South Africa (74% worldwide) incorrectly believe vaping is equally as harmful as smoking.

This Misinformation Epidemic, revealed in research by Ipsos for the think tank network We Are Innovation, has been blamed on repeated statements from key institutions such as the World Health Organization (WHO).

In the last six months alone, the WHO has published vaping and nicotine misinformation on more than ten occasions, including statements suggesting that vaping causes cancer and asserting that vapes often contain more toxicants than cigarettes.

This goes against most recent research and statements from public health authorities such as the UK’s National Health Service. The latter has published a guide to “Vaping Myths and Facts”, debunking some of the most significant misconceptions about vaping to help smokers access high-quality information.

Indeed, the countries that have been most successful in reducing smoking rates, such as Sweden and New Zealand, have embraced smoke-free nicotine alternatives in recent years, thereby significantly reducing smoking prevalence.

Sweden, which initiated the process much earlier, has already seen significant progress in public health outcomes, including an incidence of lung cancer death 41% lower than the EU average.

Commenting on the misinformation epidemic on World Vape Day, World Vapers’ Alliance director Michael Landl said: “The WHO is neglecting its responsibility to the world’s 1.1 billion smokers and is actively providing fearmongering, false information, depriving them of what has been proven to be the most successful tool we have in the fight against smoking.

“Although not risk-free, vaping has been proven to be significantly less harmful than smoking traditional tobacco. This has not only been supported by testimonials of former smokers who managed to switch to vaping on the differences they have seen in their health but also through biomarker analysis conducted as a predictor of potential harm. Public health officials have a responsibility and a duty to inform the smoking public of all the available evidence to help them make better choices and potentially save millions of lives in the process,” added Kurt Yeo, the founder of Vaping Saved My Life.

For media enquiries, please contact:

Michael Landl
Director of the World Vapers’ Alliance
[email protected]

About World Vapers Alliance:

The World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA) amplifies the voices of vapers worldwide and empowers them to make a difference in their communities. Our members are vapers associations as well as individual vapers from all over the world.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b6ca1146-0dc1-4d54-a5a0-23ffe2371140

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