Cameroonian government have banned the smoking of shisha pipes, especially among young people who largely promote it.
Shisha smoking pipes abound in bars and private homes in Cameroon, but authorities say smoking poses a health risk to patrons.
According to the health ministry, about 46% of young Cameroonians smoke the substance – which is typically a mix of tobacco, molasses, glycerine and flavourings.
Doctors have said there is a “misconception” that shishas are not as harmful as cigarettes.
The British Heart Foundation has said that an hour-long shisha session can be the equivalent of smoking more than 100 cigarettes.
WHO’s Advice
According to World Health Organisation 2015 advisory note, WHO stated, “All the studies to date indicate that, during a typical waterpipe use session, the user will draw large doses of toxicants (ranging from less than one to tens of cigarette equivalents). These toxicants have been linked to addiction, heart and lung diseases, and cancer in cigarette smokers and can result in similar outcomes in waterpipe users if these toxicants are absorbed in the body in appreciable amounts,” the report stated.
Shisha is a mixture of tobacco, molasses, glycerine and flavourings. The smoking of shisha tobacco is common in Africa and its regulation has become an obligation to most African countries as countries like Kenya and Sudan keep revising their regulations.
As shisha bars keep springing up in major cities, African leaders may have to keep revising their strategies to effectively clamp down on the menace.
A Hidden Epidemic in Nigeria
In May 2015, the bill prohibiting tobacco smoking in public places in Nigeria – Tobacco Control Bill – was passed into law by the Federal Government of Nigeria. Unfortunately, many public shisha smoking places have opened in major cities across Nigeria, even after the enactment of the Tobacco Control Law. In a 2015 technical report by the World Health Organization (WHO) Study Group on Tobacco Product Regulation (TobReg), it was reported that many countries, including Nigeria, lack specific policies regulating shisha smoking among their populace.
It is also noteworthy that most of the existing public health education programmes on tobacco in Nigeria have focused only on cigarettes, with little to no attention on shisha. It is of concern that many shisha smokers in Nigeria lack adequate knowledge of the health risks associated with shisha smoking.
