By Moma Sandrine
The World ‘No Tobacco Day’ has been observed with focus on the theme ‘Tobacco and Lung Health. This took place last May 31, 2010. To this effect, smokers have been called upon to quit smoking so as to keep their lungs healthy.
On every cigarette packet, it is clearly written ‘Tobacco seriously damages your health’. However, cigarette addicts seem to undermine this warning.
While speaking to a general practitioner at the TB ward in the Bamenda regional hospital, Dr Nyambu Nelitha, she said tobacco is detrimental to lung health. “Tobacco smoking both active and passive compromises lung health. With that, patients who smoke are exposed to other diseases like chronic respiratory lung diseases. Smoking prevents the lung from functioning effectively and sending out bi-products like carbondioxide. Someone who has been smoking for a long time is at risk of having lung cancer and tuberculosis”.
The dangers with smoking is not limited to smokers alone but also to those around people who smoke as she added “Each puff of smoke from a cigarette can last in the air for five minutes, so though you don’t smoke, when you inhale the smoke, it has the same effects on you as the smoker”.
To this effect, Dr Nyambu Nelitha called on smokers to desist from this harmful addiction in order to stay healthy. “I will advice smokers to quit smoking. For those who are already addicted or cannot do without, you can start by reducing the number of sticks you take per day and if you really care about those around you, you should smoke far away from them because passive smoking has the same effect as active smoking”, she said.
Statistics have proven that about 8,300 people die each year in Cameroon due to tobacco related diseases. Meanwhile globally, tobacco kills up to 3million people yearly. It has been revealed that these deaths come from mainly low income countries with very little exposure on the risk of tobacco use. It is believed that if more sensitization is done on smoking and its related dangers, fewer persons will consume this harmful substance.