WHO Sets Goal: Get 100 Million People to Quit Tobacco Worldwide in 2021

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced a year-long campaign, “Commit to Quit,” to help 100 million people quit tobacco worldwide.

Millions of people who use tobacco have been motivated to quit because of the COVID-19 pandemic, WHO said in a news release. “Smoking kills 8 million people a year, but if users need more motivation to kick the habit, the pandemic provides the right incentive,” said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Earlier this year, WHO released a scientific brief showing that smokers are at higher risk of developing severe disease and death from COVID-19.

As part of the new initiative, WHO created a Quit Challenge on WhatsApp. The campaign also includes a 24/7 digital health worker to help people quit.