This is how swapping your fags for e-cigarettes could ‘prevent you and your kids getting MENINGITIS’
SWITCHING to e-cigarettes could protect you and your kids from deadly meningitis, experts say.
Exposure to tobacco, both as a smoker and passive smoker, has been shown to increase the risk of the brain disease.
It's thought that smoking is responsible for a third to half of all meningococcal cases, according to campaign group Action on Smoking and Health (ASH).
But e-cigarettes are safer than cigarettes, and could lower the risk of meningococcal disease.
Deborah Arnott, chief executive of ASH, said: "It is the smoke not the nicotine that causes the risk.
"I don't think people realise just how dangerous smoking is."
Meningococcal is a bacterial form of meningitis, a serious infection that causes inflammation of the membrane surrounding the brain.
About seven per cent of meningococcal cases in England result in death and as many as 15 per cent result in life-changing defects including loss of hearing, loss of sight, brain damage, organ damage, loss of limbs or paralysis.
Deborah added: "People probably know it (smoking) causes lung cancer, heart disease and stroke, but it's also a major cause of blindness, deafness, if you have diabetes it makes it more likely you will have bad side effects.
"You can see why that would be true for meningitis too, if you are being exposed to tobacco smoke you will be more vulnerable to infections of all sorts."
About 10 per cent of the general population carry meningococcal bacteria at any time and the risk of carrying the bacteria increases the more you smoke.
Those who have the bacteria are more at risk of developing the disease.
One study has found that exposure to secondhand smoke may be linked to increased mortality among those who have the disease, according to ASH.
But it is not just yourself you are putting at risk of the killer disease - smoking around your kids dramatically increases their chances of meningitis.
A 2010 Royal College of Physicians report into passive smoking around children found exposure to tobacco smoke causes about 200 cases of bacterial meningitis in the UK per year.
It is also responsible for over 20,000 cases of lower respiratory tract infections, at least 22,000 new cases of wheeze and asthma and 40 sudden infant death cases.
About two million children live in a household where they are exposed to cigarette smoke, according to the report.
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Deborah said: "If you can reduce the exposure to secondhand smoke you can reduce the risk of meningitis.
"Smoking causes so much damage to your system that it is not surprising secondhand smoke does the same.
"Children are more likely to get meningitis than adults anyway, so it is a real risk to your children."
A 2010 study into secondhand smoke exposure and meningococcal in children found that kids exposed to second hand smoke were twice as likely to develop the disease.
Deborah stressed that quitting smoking altogether was the best option for your health, but said e-cigarettes were a better option if you are struggling to put down the fags.
She said: "It is always best to quit smoking completely and quit using nicotine but if you can't and you are not finding the traditional treatments like nicotine replacements work then e-cigarettes are better than smoking.
"But it is always relative to smoking, we would never suggest someone take up e-cigarette use if they are not a smoker."
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