Doctors in the UAE are refusing to support e-cigarette use to help smokers quit, despite UK health authorities backing the devices for the first time in the annual Stoptober campaign.
As a 100 per cent tax on cigarettes comes into force in the UAE from October, new draft guidance from the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) says patients should be told that e-cigarettes can be an aid to stop smoking for those wanting to give up.
It remains illegal to sell e-cigarettes in the UAE, with no movement on that for the foreseeable future, but just 5 per cent of smokers manage to quit without medication or some other form of help.
UAE health authorities have demanded more conclusive research proving their safety and effectiveness as a less harmful alternative to conventional cigarettes before any policy change.
“We are still unsure of the safety of e-cigarettes, and it will take some time before we can support their use,” said Dr Hassan Razein, a specialist in respiratory medicine at Zulekha Hospital.
“Some producers claim nicotine levels in their e-cigarette devices are substantially less than in cigarettes. Because of the toxicity, we cannot support their use or recommend them to help smokers to quit.”
Zulekha Hospitals offers smokers looking to quit group therapy sessions, medicines and nicotine replacement gums or sprays.
Doctors there said smokers must be committed to follow a full cessation programme, and will struggle with will-power alone.
Long-term smokers managing to kick the habit can expect their health to recover reasonably quickly but they will still be susceptible to serious associated illnesses such as lung cancer and cardiovascular disease.
“Once smokers stop, their body begins to recover almost immediately but long-term recovery can take up to two years after someone quits,” said Dr Razein, who also said a tobacco tax would do little to deter smokers in a wealthy country where prices will remain relatively low.
Read more: Regulations and updated advice on e-cigarettes is falling behind
“Price is not an issue for long-term smokers who are addicted but it may help those on lower incomes. It’s a sign the approach towards smoking is changing, which is positive.”
According to the fifth World Tobacco Atlas, an average of 27 people in the UAE die each week due to tobacco-related diseases.
The current rate of smoking is 24.3 per cent among males and 0.8 per cent among women.
Medwakh and shisha continue to be popular in the UAE, and also pose a significant risk.
A UK government campaign encouraging smokers to quit will feature e-cigarettes in promotional material for the first time, representing a sea change in the official approach towards the devices.
But doctors at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi were also unwilling to support the use of e-cigarettes as part of a smoking cessation programme.
“When it comes to smoking, there is no safer option other than quitting entirely,” said Iyaad Hasan, a certified tobacco treatment specialist.
“A lot of people pin their hopes on this kind of alternative to smoking because they take the place of a habit that’s embedded in people’s lives.
“Although research is still ongoing in relation to e-cigarettes, past research has demonstrated that the chemical content in them, although maybe lower than a traditional cigarette, is still harmful.
“The fact of the matter is these substances were never meant to be in the human body in the first place.”
Consisting of four main steps, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s Smoking Cessation Programme follows smokers from their decision to quit through to life after smoking, creating a customised programme for each person.
University College London researchers found 20 per cent of attempts to quit were successful in the first six months of 2017, compared with an average of 16 per cent over the previous 10 years.
Of the one in 20 people over 16 who regularly use e-cigarettes in the UK, a quarter are either smokers or ex-smokers.
A ban on advertising, smoking indoors, standardised packaging and high taxation are said to be behind the growing numbers in the UK attempting to kick the habit.
“Some smokers are able to stop on their own, but very few,” said Dr Mohamed Maki Shalal, head of ER at Canadian Specialist Hospital in Dubai.
“Smoking is a strong habit, and an addiction that is hard to break.
“People think e-cigarettes are harmless but we know they are chemicals so there will be problems with them in future.”
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If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Funchal via Lisbon, with a connecting flight with Air Portugal. Economy class returns cost from Dh3,845 return including taxes.
The trip
The WalkMe app can be downloaded from the usual sources. If you don’t fancy doing the trip yourself, then Explore offers an eight-day levada trails tour from Dh3,050, not including flights.
The hotel
There isn’t another hotel anywhere in Madeira that matches the history and luxury of the Belmond Reid's Palace in Funchal. Doubles from Dh1,400 per night including taxes.
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Important questions to consider
1. Where on the plane does my pet travel?
There are different types of travel available for pets:
- Manifest cargo
- Excess luggage in the hold
- Excess luggage in the cabin
Each option is safe. The feasibility of each option is based on the size and breed of your pet, the airline they are traveling on and country they are travelling to.
2. What is the difference between my pet traveling as manifest cargo or as excess luggage?
If traveling as manifest cargo, your pet is traveling in the front hold of the plane and can travel with or without you being on the same plane. The cost of your pets travel is based on volumetric weight, in other words, the size of their travel crate.
If traveling as excess luggage, your pet will be in the rear hold of the plane and must be traveling under the ticket of a human passenger. The cost of your pets travel is based on the actual (combined) weight of your pet in their crate.
3. What happens when my pet arrives in the country they are traveling to?
As soon as the flight arrives, your pet will be taken from the plane straight to the airport terminal.
If your pet is traveling as excess luggage, they will taken to the oversized luggage area in the arrival hall. Once you clear passport control, you will be able to collect them at the same time as your normal luggage. As you exit the airport via the ‘something to declare’ customs channel you will be asked to present your pets travel paperwork to the customs official and / or the vet on duty.
If your pet is traveling as manifest cargo, they will be taken to the Animal Reception Centre. There, their documentation will be reviewed by the staff of the ARC to ensure all is in order. At the same time, relevant customs formalities will be completed by staff based at the arriving airport.
4. How long does the travel paperwork and other travel preparations take?
This depends entirely on the location that your pet is traveling to. Your pet relocation compnay will provide you with an accurate timeline of how long the relevant preparations will take and at what point in the process the various steps must be taken.
In some cases they can get your pet ‘travel ready’ in a few days. In others it can be up to six months or more.
5. What vaccinations does my pet need to travel?
Regardless of where your pet is traveling, they will need certain vaccinations. The exact vaccinations they need are entirely dependent on the location they are traveling to. The one vaccination that is mandatory for every country your pet may travel to is a rabies vaccination.
Other vaccinations may also be necessary. These will be advised to you as relevant. In every situation, it is essential to keep your vaccinations current and to not miss a due date, even by one day. To do so could severely hinder your pets travel plans.
Source: Pawsome Pets UAE