FDA reveals smoking kills 75 men each week in Ghana

According to statistics, more than 425,200 men, 69,200 women and 2,700 boys smoke cigarettes every day, killing about 75 men a week, posing a serious threat to public health.

According to the survey conducted among young people in Ghana, 2017, about 1.5% of JHS girls were using chisha, compared to 1.6% of boys in the country, due to a misconception that chisha is a safer alternative to smoking.

The Department of Disease Prevention and Control of the Ghana Health Service is concerned about the high rate of smoking among girls in lower secondary education.

Dr. Kyei Faried, head of disease control and prevention of health services in Ghana, said the current situation was worrisome, saying that chisha was very harmful to the health of smokers, especially women, and had urged to give up this practice.

"Shisha contains tobacco and tobacco contains more than 70 poisonous substances and nothing good," he said.

The latest poll shows that one out of every 50 girls has chicha, said Dr. Faried, who called on all parties to join the fight against smoking in all its forms.

He noted that Ghana had no future if one out of every 50 college girls smoked chicha and therefore called pastors, imams, the media and all to join the campaign to quit smoking.

Dr. Faried urged smokers to make a conscious effort to quit smoking by saying, "When we decide to quit, within one year, more than 70 poisonous substances are leaving the bloodstream, it is so it's possible to quit and everything will be fine.

Globally, eight (8) million people are killed by a tobacco epidemic including more than one (1) million who do not smoke, but die while breathing second-hand smoke by living with them or by simply being around d & # 39; them.

However, between 2000 and 2016, smoking prevalence rates dropped from 27% to 20%. As a result, the pace of action to reduce the demand for tobacco and tobacco-related deaths and diseases is still lagging behind other global and national commitments.

In a speech delivered by FDA Executive Director Delese Mimi Darko on Monday, June 3, 2019, in Accra on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day, the world would be able to reduce smoking by only 22%. 2025 instead of 30% by 2025 if the trend continues.

According to her, smoking exposed to second-hand smoke increases the risk of contracting many lung diseases, which causes 90% of lung cancer deaths and about 8 in 10 deaths due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including l & # 39; emphysema. and chronic bronchitis.

The theme of this year's World No Tobacco Day is "Tobacco and respiratory health", with the slogan: do not let tobacco take your breath away, choose health without tobacco.