Florence, WHO’s first virtual health worker

Now you can use artificial intelligence to help you quit tobacco. Florence, a digital health worker is here to help you on your journey to a tobacco-free life. She has been programmed with the latest information on tobacco cessation methods and will help you quit by providing you with information and tips on how to stop smoking. 

Florence is now also equipped with the knowledge on COVID-19, she can provide you with answers on why your should quit tobacco during the pandemic and on any questions you may have on COVID-19 vaccines.

How Florence can help you

Through a series of interactive questions, Florence will get to understand your relationship with tobacco and tailor her responses to best address your needs. With your input, she will create your ‘personal quit plan’, drawing from the best available science and offer support and guidance throughout the process. 

Why you should quit tobacco

Tobacco is extremely harmful and there is no safe level of exposure to it. While cigarette smoking is the most widespread form of tobacco use, other tobacco products like waterpipe tobacco, various smokeless tobacco products, cigars, cigarillos, roll-your-own tobacco, pipe tobacco, bidis and kreteks are also harmful. Research has proved that more than half of tobacco users are eventually killed by it. Currently, 7 million tobacco users die every year. The negative effects of using tobacco range from physical impacts like shortness of breath, throat and tongue cancer to mental impacts like increased anxiety and stress.

The health benefits of quitting tobacco

Quitting tobacco is not easy, but the health benefits far outweigh the health risks. When you stop smoking, the benefits start almost immediately. Your heart rate and blood pressure drop in only 20 minutes. Within 12 hours, the carbon monoxide level in your blood returns to normal and coughing and shortness of breath can decrease in as little as one month. Ultimately, when you quit tobacco, you will experience improved breathing with healthy lungs and increase your chances of a longer life.