Vice President: All Institutions Underestimate the Problem of Vaping

BNT's "Don't Breathe Death" information campaign against vaping continues, targeting both children and parents.

#Don’tBreatheDeath: BNT launches a campaign against the use of vapes by children and teenagers.

Nearly 70 deaths worldwide have been reported due to vaping, as announced by Kostadin Angelov, Chairman of the Health Committee in the Parlaiment, during a broadcast on BNT on February 10. He emphasized that nicotine-free vapes also damage the lungs. Associate Professor Mihail Okoliyski from the National Center for Public Health and Analyses highlighted that health education starting from first grade can counter the increasingly popular trend of vaping. Vice President Iliana Iotova stated that this dangerous trend has been underestimated by all institutions and stressed that the consultative council for national security convened by the President on the issue is timely.

The fight against vaping cannot be the effort of just one institution, one ministry or one organisation, Vice President Iliana Iotova is convinced of that. She stressed the need for a large-scale campaign.

"Underestimating this issue is not just the fault of the Ministry of Interior, it is an issue for all institutions, because just two years ago there was a very serious discussion about laughing gas, and what happened - no results were achieved. I hope that this time there will be legislative changes, but there also need to be concrete measures at the local level – schools and the Ministry of Education should have a main role here," emphasised Iliana Iotova, Vice President of the Republic of Bulgaria.

During the consultative council convened by the President, Iotova expects serious analysis and outlining of specific measures.

According to the chairman of the health committee Kostadin Angelov, there are no safe vapes.

"There are thousands of people who are hospitalised with diseases caused by vapes – the disease is called EVALI. There have been nearly 70 deaths worldwide from vaping," explained Kostadin Angelov of GERB-UDF, Chairman of the Health Committee in the Parliament.

The dangerous fashion of smoking vapes can be countered by health education from the first grade, said Associate Professor Mihail Okoliyski.

"Until recently, there were parents who thought that vaping or heated tobacco products were a good alternative to conventional cigarettes and were pleased that their children were using them at youth parties," commented Associate Professor Mihail Okoliyski, Directorate for Mental Health and Addiction Prevention, National Center for Health Care and Addiction Prevention..

"It was people's way of quitting cigarettes. If that’s truly the case, then why aren’t these vapes prescribed by doctors?" Kostadin Angelov questions.

"According to the World Health Organization, this may even be more dangerous, and as we can see, the substances used in these vapes can cause instant loss of awareness, leading to young people losing their lives," asserted Mihail Okoliyski.

Last week, the "Vaping Association - Bulgaria" expressed strong disagreement with the proposal for a complete ban on vapes in the country and called for a broad discussion on the matter.