Oldham GP calls on vaping industry to end smoking in pregnancy

Dr Anita Sharma from South Chadderton, who has been awarded the Most Supportive Public Health Professional by the UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA), is urging the vaping industry to encourage pregnant women to quit smoking. She said: “Responsible vaping has proved an effective method of helping smokers quit the habit, which is why the NHS recommends it as an alternative to cigarettes.

“I like the way the industry clamps-down on backstreet sellers, will not tolerate underage usage, and only promotes vaping for those already smoking. That shows it cares. Now I would like it to join with me in making sure all babies are born smokefree.”

Stopping smoking during pregnancy can reduce birth complications, lower the risk of stillbirth, help prevent premature births and lessen the danger of cot death, according to the NHS website.

Guidance published by The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) and Public Health England meanwhile states that healthcare staff should give clear and up-to-date information on e-cigarettes to people who are interested in using them to stop smoking but should stress the long-term health effects of them are still uncertain.

It argued that nicotine-containing e-cigarettes have been shown to help people stop smoking and are similarly effective to other stop-smoking interventions such as nicotine replacement therapy.

No nicotine e-cigarettes are currently available on the NHS.

Dr Paul Chrisp, director of Nice’s centre for guidelines, said: “We know that around 10 per cent of women are known to be smokers at the time of giving birth and given the significant health effects of smoking on both mothers and babies, it is clear that further efforts are required to encourage this group to give up smoking.

“We need to use every tool in our arsenal to reduce smoking rates, including education, behavioural support, financial incentives, and e-cigarettes if people are interested in using them.”