Latest news with #CAPHRA
Scoop
3 days ago
- Health
- Scoop
CAPHRA Urges Transparency To Protect Trust In Public Health
A new report from the Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) raises concerns about the long-term consequences of suppressing or distorting scientific information during public health crises. Titled The Cost of Concealment: The People Pay the Price, the report examines how failures in transparency and accountability can erode public trust and compromise health outcomes. The report identifies a recurring pattern in which political pressures, institutional interests, and reputational concerns have influenced how critical health information is communicated. This pattern, the report suggests, has been evident in past events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and more recently in the restructuring of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States and Argentina's withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO). 'In times of crisis, the public depends on officials and scientists to provide clear, objective, and timely information,' said Nancy Loucas, Executive Coordinator for CAPHRA. 'When this duty is compromised, the consequences are measured not just in lost trust, but in lost lives.' Historical examples such as the Tuskegee Syphilis Study are cited in the report to underscore the long-standing impact of withheld information, particularly on marginalized communities. It draws parallels to more recent instances where early suppression of scientific discourse during the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to public confusion and the proliferation of misinformation. Clarisse Virgino, CAPHRA's representative in the Philippines, stated, 'When science is manipulated or dissenting views are silenced, it ceases to be a tool of discovery and becomes a tool of conformity.' The report also references the opioid crisis as a case in which regulatory failures and inadequate communication contributed to a significant public health emergency. It emphasizes that limited transparency and selective reporting can have global ramifications, empowering misinformation, weakening public institutions, and leading to ineffective policy responses. CAPHRA's report concludes with a call for renewed commitment to ethical standards, transparency, and scientific independence. It urges officials, researchers, and institutions to prioritize public welfare over political or personal interests. 'As the world prepares for future health challenges, maintaining the highest standards of integrity is not optional—it is essential to restoring public trust and safeguarding lives,' the report concludes.
Scoop
25-05-2025
- Health
- Scoop
CAPHRA Condemns WHO's Anti-Science Agenda On World Vape Day
The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) today challenged the World Health Organization's (WHO) anti-vaping stance as 'scientifically bankrupt,' accusing it of endangering public health by ignoring evidence that safer nicotine products save lives. The rebuke coincides with the upcoming WHO's World No Tobacco Day (30 May), which CAPHRA claims weaponizes misinformation to justify prohibitionist policies. ' The WHO's 'Health For All' mantra rings hollow when it dismisses vaping's life-saving potential,' said Nancy Loucas, CAPHRA's Executive Coordinator. 'Their 2025 theme masks a dangerous agenda: protecting cigarette markets by vilifying harm reduction.' Loucas condemned WHO's exclusion of consumer advocates from COP10 talks, noting: 'Silencing experts while citing debunked 'gateway' theories exposes their fear of facts.' She highlighted stark contrasts: UK youth smoking halved to 3.6% since 2012 under regulated vaping, while Maldives' vaping ban saw youth smoking rise 12%. "Vaping is 95% safer than smoking - a fact repeatedly proven, and has contributed to a fast declining smoking rate in countries where it is regulated - that WHO ignores to appease anti-nicotine ideologues,' Loucas stated. 'This isn't public health. It's prohibitionist theatre that sacrifices smokers' lives.' CAPHRA cited Malaysia's 2024 vaping legalisation, which cut adult smoking 4% in six months, versus Australia's $2.3billion black market under prescription-only rules. 'The WHO equates vaping with smoking, yet 82 million ex-smokers globally prove otherwise,' Loucas said. 'Their 1980s-style fearmongering helps nobody but cigarette traders.' 'This World Vape Day, we demand the WHO stop lying,' Loucas concluded. 'Regulate vaping strictly, educate honestly, and watch smoking collapse. The UK model works. Ideological bans kill.' About CAPHRA CAPHRA Position Statement on Industry Independence: The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Advocates (CAPHRA) is a regional alliance of consumer tobacco harm reduction advocacy organisations. CAPHRA is not related to, or funded by any commercial interests. It is composed of volunteer consumer advocates from the Asia Pacific Region. We hope putting forward this information would clarify any doubt as to our interests and intentions. CAPHRA stays committed to its mission to educate, advocate and represent the right of adult alternative nicotine consumers to access and use of products that reduce harm from tobacco use. We advocate for the rights of consumers in the Asia-Pacific region to access and use evidence-based, regulated, and properly marketed harm reduction products as a means of reducing the devastating impact of smoking-related diseases.
Associated Press
22-05-2025
- Health
- Associated Press
New Report Examines the Impact of Disinformation on Public Health Outcomes
'Disinformation is not simply incorrect information — it is deliberate, malicious, and deeply damaging.'— Clarisse Virgino MANILA, PHILIPPINES, May 22, 2025 / / -- In an era of widespread access to information, the growing influence of disinformation presents complex challenges for public health. A new analysis, The Silent Threat: How Disinformation Harms Public Health, explores the potential effects of misleading information on public trust and the delivery of health guidance, and recommends strategies for evidence-based responses. The report outlines how disinformation—defined as the intentional spread of false or misleading information—can create confusion and reduce adherence to health recommendations. It also suggests that when public health decisions appear to be shaped by factors other than scientific evidence, confidence in health systems can diminish, potentially affecting outcomes. 'Disinformation differs from simple misinformation in that it is intentional and designed to mislead,' said Clarisse Virgino, CAPHRA Philippines representative. 'It can gain traction particularly when there are inconsistencies in public health messaging or when individuals perceive a disconnect between official guidance and their personal experiences.' The analysis draws on examples such as the COVID-19 pandemic, where varying information and debates over policy led to public skepticism. Similar concerns are noted in areas such as tobacco harm reduction, where conflicting narratives may complicate decision-making for individuals seeking to understand their options. The report highlights that disinformation may disproportionately impact vulnerable populations, including marginalized communities that already encounter barriers to accessing healthcare and accurate information. These dynamics can exacerbate existing health inequities. The authors advocate for public health policy to remain firmly rooted in evidence and emphasize the importance of clear, consistent communication. They recommend that public health leaders focus on maintaining transparency and rebuilding trust as fundamental components of effective health promotion and protection. The report concludes by calling on public health authorities to prioritize the delivery of accurate information and to ensure that the needs and welfare of the population remain central to decision-making processes. To read the full position paper, please visit: N. E. Loucas Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates [email protected] Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content 'as is' without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
Scoop
28-04-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Malaysia's Vape Policy Putting Public Health At Risk
The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) today urged Malaysian authorities to reject counterproductive bans on vaping and adopt risk-proportionate regulations, citing the World Health Organization's (WHO) persistent neglect of harm reduction strategies as a key driver of preventable smoking-related deaths. The call comes as Malaysia faces pressure to tighten vaping controls under the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024 (Act 852), with state-level bans and stricter nicotine limits threatening progress. CAPHRA warns such measures risk replicating failed prohibition in Bhutan and South Africa, where bans fuelled illicit markets and health risks. Professor Dr. Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh emphasised: 'Enforcing stricter controls on high-risk products over safer alternatives is better than outright bans. Malaysia must differentiate between combustible cigarettes and harm reduction tools.' Echoing this, Samsul Arrifin Kamal of MOVE Malaysia stated: 'We firmly believe that an outright ban on vape products is counterproductive and could lead to unintended consequences, including the proliferation of black market activities. The solution lies in implementing stricter controls, risk proportionate regulations and robust enforcement mechanisms. By establishing clear guidelines for the production, sale and use of vape products, we can ensure consumer safety.' CAPHRA criticised the WHO's outdated stance, which ignores vaping's role in smoking cessation. Despite Malaysia's illicit tobacco trade dominating 55.3% of the market in 2023, WHO projects smoking rates will rise to 30% by 2025-contrasting sharply with Sweden's 5% rate achieved through harm reduction. 'The WHO's anti-harm reduction dogma costs lives,' said Nancy Loucas, CAPHRA Executive Coordinator. 'Malaysia must choose: follow failed prohibition or evidence. Sweden's success proves science trumps ideology.' While Act 852 introduced nicotine caps and health warnings, proposals to ban vaping in states like Selangor and Johor risk fragmenting policy. CAPHRA urges federal-state harmonisation to avoid undermining progress. With 68% of Malaysian ex-smokers crediting vaping for quitting combustibles, CAPHRA calls for expanding regulated access while pressuring the WHO to revise its stance. 'Malaysia can lead ASEAN by prioritising 5 million smokers' health over outdated rhetoric,' Loucas concluded.
