The World Health Organisation (WHO) stressed the need for urgent action to control e-cigarettes to protect children, as well as non-smokers and minimize health harms to the population. The WHO reiterated the need to take urgent measures to revent uptake of e-cigarettes and counter nicotine addiction. It called on countries that ban the sale of e-cigarettes, to strengthen implementation of the ban and continue monitoring and surveillance to support public health interventions and ensure strong enforcement. As for countries that permit commercialization (sale, importation, distribution and manufacture) of e-cigarettes as consumer products, it recommended ensuring strong regulations to reduce their appeal and their harm to the population, including banning all flavours, limiting the concentration and quality of nicotine, and taxing them. 'Kids are being recruited and trapped at an early age to use e-cigarettes and may get hooked to nicotine," said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, urging countries 'to implement strict measures to prevent uptake to protect their citizens, especially their children and young people.' According to a statement released on December 14, E-cigarettes as consumer products are not shown to be effective for quitting tobacco use at the population level. Instead, alarming evidence has emerged on adverse population health effects. It recalled that thirty-four countries ban the sale of e-cigarettes, 88 countries have no minimum age at which e-cigarettes can be bought and 74 countries have no regulations in place for these harmful products. The WHO pointed out that E-cigarettes with nicotine are highly addictive and are harmful to health. Whilst long-term health effects are not fully understood, it has been established that they generate toxic substances, some of which are known to cause cancer and some that increase the risk of heart and lung disorders. Use of e-cigarettes can also affect brain development and lead to learning disorders for young people. The WHO also said Children 13-15-years old are using e-cigarettes at rates higher than adults in all WHO regions. Therefore, the organisation stressed that cessation strategies should be based on the best available evidence of efficacy, to go with other tobacco control measures and subject to monitoring and evaluation. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse