The ministry of health last week banned use, advertisement and importation of water pipe tobacco, popularly known as shisha , hookah, narghile in line with the world health organization( WHO) tobacco guidelines underlining smoking health effects such as being damaging, addictive and dangerous on human lives.
A water pipe is an apparatus for smoking heated tobacco after its passage through water. This increased shisha trend is also to be blamed to the lack of information dissemination to public, about the health risks in smoking it . The serious problem here is that most shisha smokers take to the Hubble- bubble thinking that it poses only a ‘light’ health risks compared to serious health related complication of cigarette smoking.
However medical experts had warned that shisha has a more perilous impact on health compared to cigarette smoking. They say most shisha smokers have a misconception based on a wrongful and unscientific notion that tobacco used in shisha is herbal and does not affect body organs.
But this shisha smoking does not only affect the user but also the people around them. That is why in some places here in our country residents of buildings with coffee shops, pubs and snack counters that serve shisha, expressed their resentment over the outlets for the multiple problems they cause them. To the extent that the residence called upon the authority concerned to adopt certain measures to control the spread of Shisha outlets. So why are the residents so concerned with the situation? Here are some the negative effects of smoking waterpipe tobacco that might have led to their claiming:
Lung cancer is a first disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. The main cause of any cancer includes carcinogens such as those found in tobacco smoke. This exposure causes changes in the tissue lining the lungs. As more tissues becomes damaged, eventually cancer develops. Smoking is by far the main contributor to lung cancer. And passive smoking- the inhalation of smoke another’s smoking is a cause of lung cancer in non- smokers. Recent investigation of side stream smoke suggests that it is more dangerous than direct smoke inhalation.
Mouth cancer or oral cancer is any cancerous tissue growth in the oral cavity. It may also occur on the floor of the mouth, cheek living gingiva(gums) or palate( roof of the mouth).
Stomach or gastric cancer can be developed in any part of the stomach and may spread through the stomach and to other organs of the body. A very important but preventable cause of gastric cancer is tobacco smoking and here are other more effects like heart disease, respiratory disease and adverse affects during pregnancy for women.
Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death and has a negative health impact on people in all ages in life. Beside the Health risk of Hubble – bubble. It distracts its users from becoming creative in utilizing their leisure time in doing something useful and also harmful to the health of the people around them. I believe we are the masters of our future. The lifestyle we prefer to have now, affects greatly the condition of our health in the future. The youth of Rwanda are the future for our country, all the citizens have the choice to act now and prevent this catastrophic foreign smoking habits that cause cancer whose intention is to deepen its roots with in us thus leading us to death.
