03 Jun 2018

 Smoking, of all types, whether active or passive, poses a danger to people’s health and can cause cardio vascular diseases such as stroke and other heart diseases.
This was said by the acting safety and health education coordinator at the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Mr Samuel Kedise.

Speaking during World No Tobacco Day recently, Mr Kedise said smoking was not good for health and that it was important to share knowledge about the dangers of tobacco and ways to prevent cardio vascular diseases which were a result of smoking.

He said the aim of the commemoration, held under the theme: Tobacco and heart diseases, was to monitor the use of tobacco and ensure protection of those who do not smoke as well as to come up with ways of helping those who smoke.

For her part, Ms Punah Shatera, principal health officer at the Ministry of Health and Wellness, said seven million people were killed by tobacco smoking worldwide each year.

Ms Shatera noted that 900 000 non-smokers were killed by tobacco related diseases.

She also noted that 43 per cent of second hand smoking occured at homes and that it affected children, pregnant women and old people while 28 per cent occured in the workplace.

Public health specialist at Lock Haven, Ms Tebogo Mophuting said heart related diseases were the third largest killers worldwide after HIV/AIDS and Malaria.

She said 30 per cent of people who smoked were at risk of heart diseases and stroke.

She said nicotine, which was found in cigarettes, was addictive and poisonous to the blood.

Ms Mophuting also said nicotine thickened the blood and forced it to pump with difficulty.

For his part, Mr Mmoloki Maoto, Detective Sub Inspector at Borakanelo Police Station, said smoking in public places was prohibited as per the act that regulated the use of tobacco in public places.

He highlighted that tobacco smoking posed danger to people’s lives, and that if one was caught smoking in public places, they were likely to be fined P5 000 or three-months imprisonment. Ends