The GHS worried about the habit of smoking shisha among JHS girls

Health News on Monday, June 3, 2019

Source: primenewsghana.com

2019-06-03

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 the department, said the current situation was worrisome, claiming that shisha was very harmful to the health of smokers, especially women, and urged them to abandon the practice.

Shisha contains tobacco and tobacco contains more than 70 toxic substances and nothing good in it, "he said.

According to the latest survey, one in 50 high school girls smokes shisha, said Dr. Faried, and 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 girls attended shisha and therefore called pastors, imams, the media and all to join the campaign to quit.

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. "

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) recently explained why "shisha" is illegal in Ghana.

In an interview with Ghana News Agency, Juliana Amankwah-Marfo, FDA chief regulatory officer, said that according to the law, the FDA should regulate the use of shisha and that anyone wishing to To the public must register.

"By law, the FDA must regulate its use. Operators have to register before offering it to the public, but no one has asked us to register. "

Smoking shisha is a way of smoking tobacco in a bowl to which a tube is connected. The tube has a mouthpiece that the smoker uses to breathe smoke.

The trend originates in the Middle East and some parts of Asia, but has recently become more popular in Ghana with youth membership.