WHO DO
THEY THINK
THEY ARE?
Trump/WHO spat may have
knock-on effect on global
vape policy
Words: Gordon Stribling
On May 18, all 194 World Health Organization member states
agreed at a virtual assembly meeting to conduct an inquiry into
the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The resolution
includes provisions to investigate the WHO’s own role in handling the
pandemic.
The global health body has faced significant criticism for its response
from the Trump Administration. Previously the WHO’s largest
donor, the country threatened to cut all funding following a public
spat between President Trump and WHO director general, Tedros
Adhanom.
US health secretary Alex Azar told the Assembly: “We must be frank
about one of the primary reasons this outbreak spun out of control:
there was a failure by this organisation to obtain the information that
the world needed, and that failure cost many lives.”
The WHO has also received criticism from the UK and Europe.
However, European Commission spokeswoman Virginie Battu-
Henriksson urged EU nations to support it and not get wrapped up in
US vs China politics.
“This is the time for solidarity,” she said. “It is not the time for fingerpointing
or undermining multilateral cooperation.” The WHO has
been able to defend itself from many of the charges levelled at it
by President Trump. But regardless of the findings of the inquiry,
many nations will now likely take a more critical stance about the
organisation’s advice on other matters, such as vaping.
Global vaping policy is perhaps more fractured than it has ever been
despite the overwhelming evidence supporting vaping for tobacco
harm reduction.
Fears about youth uptake, largely driven by disputed data from North
America, have negatively influenced policy in South America, Asia and
even parts of Europe, where the much-heralded Tobacco Products
Directive can be adapted by member states.
Nonetheless, President Trump remains a popular figure for US
advocates after speaking up for the industry last year. The WHO
remains a highly influential presence on global vaping policy, thanks,
in no small part, to its Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
(FCTC), created to end the global tobacco epidemic.
The FCTC includes provisions to regulate tobacco products, raise
awareness of the harms associated with tobacco and protect from
exposure to tobacco smoke.
But while member nations such as the UK have embraced e-cigarettes
to reduce the harms associated with tobacco, the WHO continues to
assert that they are dangerous and that the evidence supporting their
use to help people quit smoking is ‘inconclusive.’
In advice issued in January, the WHO said: “E-cigarettes increase the
risk of heart disease and lung disorders.
“They pose significant risks as they can damage the growing foetus.
They also expose non-smokers to nicotine and other harmful
chemicals.” It also refused to acknowledge that e-cigarettes are
58 VM29