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** 26 March 2020
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** UK
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** Men are much more likely to die from coronavirus - but why? (#1)
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** International
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** Tobacco control campaigners in Zambia push for increase in tobacco taxes (#2)
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** Parliamentary activity
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** Parliamentary questions (#3)
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** UK
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** It has been well publicised that Covid-19 discriminates by age and by underlying health conditions. But it has become increasingly apparent that it also discriminates by sex, with men more likely to test positive and more likely to die from the disease.
The trend was first seen in China, where one analysis found a fatality rate of 2.8% in men compared with 1.7% in women. Since then, the pattern has been mirrored in France, Germany, Iran, Italy, South Korea and Spain. In Italy, men have accounted for 71% of deaths and, in Spain, data released on Thursday suggests twice as many men as women have died.
Early on, smoking was suggested as a likely explanation. In China, nearly 50% of men but only about 2% of women smoke, and so underlying differences in lung health were assumed to contribute to men suffering worse symptoms and outcomes. The smoking hypothesis was backed by a paper, published last month, that found smokers made up about 12% of those with less severe symptoms, but 26% of those who ended up in intensive care or died.
However, there is a growing belief among experts that more fundamental biological factors are also at play. While there are higher proportions of male smokers in many countries – in Italy, about 28% of men and 19% of women smoke – the differences are nowhere near as extreme as in China. But men continue to be overrepresented in Covid-19 statistics.
Previous research has revealed that men have lower innate antiviral immune responses to a range of infections including hepatitis C and HIV. Studies in mice suggest that this may also be true for coronaviruses, though Covid-19 specifically has not been studied.
“The honest answer is none of us know what’s causing the difference,” said Prof Sarah Hawkes, director of the UCL Centre for Gender and Global Health. Ultimately, Hawkes said, biology, lifestyle and behaviour are all likely to play a role.
Source: The Guardian, 26 March 2020
New England Journal of Medicine - Clinical characteristics of coronavirus disease 2019 in China ([link removed])
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** International
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** Tobacco control campaigners in Zambia on Monday reignited calls on the need for the government to raise tobacco taxes in order to reduce use of tobacco products. The campaigners want taxes on tobacco to be raised to more than 70% of the retail price of cigarettes.
Muyunda Ililonga, Secretary of the Zambia Tobacco Control Consortium, an umbrella body of all organisations in tobacco control, said raising tobacco taxes has been proven to be an effective tool to discourage people, especially young people from using tobacco products. He noted that tobacco firms were targeting young people in their promotion campaigns hence the need to counter this type of messaging.
Last week, the Center for Trade Policy and Development, a local think-tank, said that as a signatory to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, Zambia was mandated to take steps to increase tobacco taxes.
Chileshe Mange, the think-tank’s researcher for legal affairs, said the Zambian government should begin to take steps towards raising taxes on tobacco.
Source: News Ghana, 25 March 2020
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** Parliamentary activity
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** PQ: Electronic cigarettes
Asked by Paul Blomfield, Sheffield Central
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of vaping on the health of people who have not previously smoked cigarettes.
Asked by Paul Blomfield, Sheffield Central
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of (a) the number of people and (b) the number of people under the age of 18 who have taken up vaping who did not previously smoke cigarettes.
Answered by Jo Churchill, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Health and Social Care
Public Health England publishes annual independent updates on the prevalence of vaping among adults and young people in England.
The latest report found that less than 1% of adults who have never smoked are current vapers (defined as any current use). Among young people under 18, less than 1% of those who have never smoked are current vapers (defined as weekly or less than weekly use).
No assessment has been made of the effect of vaping on the health of people who have never smoked in England.
‘Vaping in England: an evidence update including mental health and pregnancy, March 2020: a report commissioned by Public Health England’, is available at the following link:
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Source: Hansard, 25 March 2020
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