TOBACCO SMOKING; THE SILENT KILLER!

Kweku Bolton’s report titled “Over 5000 children in Ghana suffer from tobacco effect” the report discovered that many children in Ghana are exposed to tobacco smoking due to poor parental care. I visited places such as beaches, public toilets, pubs and nightclubs, and slums. He also discovered that manufacturers have added sweetened aromatic flavors to tobacco products to attract the youth.

Medics say that persons, who are directly exposed to tobacco smoking or inhale the smoke stand the risk of getting kidney and other cancerous diseases. It discloses many children are being sent to buy or light cigarettes. Other kids also inhale smoke from their parents while smoking. Official statistics from tobacco smoking show more than 5000 children in Ghana between the ages of 10 and 15, smoke cigarettes daily while 80,400 adults who are 16 years old continue to use tobacco daily, especially shisha and e-cigarettes.

The report highlighted how Ghana has tobacco laws but its enforcement remains a challenge. The report recommends that increasing taxes on tobacco is one way of reducing the consumption rate. With this in-depth report, the journalist deserves to be rewarded for telling such a compelling story and bringing it to the attention of stakeholders and policymakers to act on.

Tobacco Smoking; the Silent Killer! Experts say, each time someone takes a puff; they introduce seven thousand chemicals into their lungs. Putting all including non-smokers especially, pregnant women are at risk. The World Health Organization estimates that globally, about eight million persons die of smoking annually.

In Ghana, a research by ATLAS Ghana pegs the figures of smokers to at about 780,000 for men and 24,900 women daily. Report also indicates that more than 5000 children (10-15 years old) smoke cigarettes daily in Ghana. Tobacco is said to be one of the leading causes of death in the country, killing more than 6000 people annually with at least 75 men dying from its usage weekly.

The country loses one billion cedis yearly, to the treatment of tobacco related illnesses as well as cardiovascular diseases and cancer.