… Kenya hosts the third harm reduction exchange as the focus centres on tobacco harm reduction initiatives

Nairobi, 19th October 2023 … Stakeholders in the health sector have been challenged to consider harm reduction as a key guide in driving public health strategies in Africa

Harm reduction refers to interventions aimed at reducing the negative effects of health behaviours without necessarily extinguishing the problematic health behaviours entirely or permanently.

Speaking during the third annual Harm Reduction Exchange themed: ‘Amplifying the voice of Harm Reduction advocacy across Africa ’, the president of the African Medical Association and the Association of Medical Councils of Africa Dr. Kgosi Letlape challenged African governments to adopt harm reduction approaches when regulating public health challenges. Harm reduction, he said, is a more transformative strategy than prohibition-based policies and is better than simply advocating for complete abstinence. Harm reduction is a better approach to reducing tobacco-related death and disease.

“Harm reduction is a practical and transformative approach that incorporates community driven public health strategies including prevention, risk reduction, and health promotion to empower people who use drugs and their families with the choice to live healthy and self-directed,” Dr. Kgosi said.

"We hope that our lobbying efforts will spark renewed conversations on tobacco harm reduction among all stakeholders, including regulators and policymakers, which could lead to effective regulation and access to non-combustible product alternatives for adult smokers who are unable or uninterested in quitting."

Across the world, harm reduction strategies have been deployed in public health as a pragmatic and compassionate approach to address various issues, particularly in the context of substance use and other risky behaviours. Some of these strategies include Needle Exchange Programs, supervised injection sites, condom distribution, PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis), Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT), Vaping and E-Cigarettes, and supervised consumption of medications.

“Organizations that practice harm reduction incorporate a spectrum of strategies that meet people where they are on their own terms and may serve as a pathway to additional health and social services, including additional prevention, treatment, and recovery services,” Dr. Vivianne Manyeki said.

On her part, Integra Africa Principal Dr. Tendai Mhizha emphasized the role that journalists and media houses should play in handling misinformation and disinformation in tobacco harm reduction discussions.

“The media play a critical role in accelerating the progress towards full uptake of harm reduction strategies in all spheres of health across the continent. With the advent of technology, we find that misinformation and disinformation are becoming increasingly prevalent with the democratisation of the information space. Moving forward, there is a need to ensure that stakeholders are well informed with current and relevant information about the science, the changes that occur and how we can advance towards a smoke-free world,” Dr. Tendai said.

Raising awareness for tobacco harm reduction (THR) as a public health strategy encourages adult smokers who are unable or uninterested in quitting tobacco altogether to migrate to non-combustible product alternatives. THR has the potential to bring about one of the greatest public health achievements of our time,” said Dr. Tendai.

“Harm reduction is the better path forward. With harm reduction, regulators provide adult smokers with information, choice and support to expand the off-ramp from smoking – while also continuing to drive down underage use. Providing adult smokers with less harmful alternatives to cigarettes is a powerful step in achieving this goal,” Public Health Specialist and Secretary General of Harm Reduction Society in Kenya, Dr. Michael Kariuki said.

Mr. Chimwemwe Ngoma, a citizen journalist at National Publication Limited and BNL Times, spoke on the topic of media as a promoter or detractor to harm reduction and the role it can play in Tobacco Harm Reduction regulation. “The media has the power to save lives as they are an integral source of health information and play a critical role in disseminating health-related information to the public. The media can bridge the gap between expert knowledge and public knowledge, but are they doing enough to correct misinformation and disinformation once it is detected?” said Mr. Ngoma.

In a keynote address that emphasised that research and science should be used to positively impact policy development and regulation, Mr. R. Murat Aydin, a leading expert in healthcare reform, questioned the WHO’s decision-making process. “ Is the WHO’s decision-making process transparent? Is it completely free from political contexts? Why were long-term epidemiological studies not required for COVID-19 vaccines, but long-term epidemiological studies are needed for alternative products to combat smoking, when there were three times more deaths due to smoking in the same period?

Several African countries have already implemented THR policies and programs. For example, South Africa has legalized the sale of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products. Kenya has also taken steps to regulate THR products and is considering legalizing e-cigarettes.

The harmonization of public healthcare regulation of THR products in Africa would be a positive step towards reducing the harms associated with tobacco use. It would also signal that African governments are committed to public health and protecting their citizens from the dangers of tobacco smoke.

About Harm Reduction

Harm Reduction refers to policies, programmes and practices designed to minimise negative health, social and legal impacts associated with various human behaviours using harmful products. Harm reduction is used to decrease the negative consequences of drug use and other elements, recognising that those unable or unwilling to stop can still make positive changes to protect themselves and others.

Harm reduction is most commonly applied to approaches that reduce adverse consequences of drug use. Harm reduction programmes now operate across various services and in different regions of the world. As of 2020, 86 countries had one or more programmes using a harm reduction approach to substance use. Visit https://harmreductionexchange.com/