Studies have shown that smokers who get COVID-19 have a higher risk of getting more severe symptoms and even face the risk of dying.
This is why, when COVID-19 cases started being recorded in Africa, the CTCA took a decision to support COVID-19 and tobacco awareness messages in the seven countries that they support. Each country was allowed to choose the materials that they wanted to use to spread the messages to their population.
The message was two fold. Firstly smokers would get more severe symptoms and could even die. And secondly, that they should quit smoking cigarettes as well as shish and other forms of tobacco products during this time to save their lives.
There were also messages about people who suffered from co-morbidities like diabetes, cancer and high blood pressure were also more vulnerable.
In Uganda, the Ministry of Health, through their Tobacco Control Focal Point decided to use posters with awareness messages designed by the CTCA.
But they took it one step further and developed the posters in various different local languages including Lugandan, KiSwahili, Rukiga, Runyoro, Runyankole and Lumasaba.
The initiative means that many more people in Uganda will be able to get the risk messages associated with COVID-19.