Zambian government should enact strong laws that will impact on tobacco companies

By Brenda Zulu

The Zambian government should enact strong laws that will impact on tobacco companies like Australia where parliament has enacted laws on cigarette packaging.

A health consultant Sikwanda Makono said tobacco smoking was a major cause of morbidity and mortality. “Apart from being a global hazard tobacco causes unnecessary illness and deaths which is something that should be stopped,” said Makono at a tobacco mentoring workshop in Lusaka held at Pungwe Lodge on 30^th August 2010.

He called on all public and private institutions to work together to stop the hazards caused by tobacco.

It is estimated that one third of regular smokers will die prematurely due to the impact of smoking. Losing 20-25 years of life of their life expectancy. Cigarette content contains over 4,000 chemicals and over 50 chemicals cause cancer  As for active smoking It was estimated that 40% of Zambian males smoke compared to less than 10% among women of which at global level almost one billion men and 250 million women smoke. There exists no safe number of cigarettes consumed per day or week. The lower the age at smoking initiation, the higher the risk of cancer and other related diseases.

The risk of cancer increases with the number of cigarettes smoked. Cancer resulting from smoking can affect lungs, esophagus, laryorgs, bladder, stomach, pancreas, cervix, colon and rectum, breast, Kidney and many other organs.

There are various diseases related to smoking.  These include coronary artery diseases, heart attack, stroke, infertility, impotence, miscarriage, fetal growth retardation, still birth, birth defects, sudden instant death syndrome, failing to thrive, poor performance in school, high blood pressure and chronic inflammatory intestinal disease.

Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is hazardous to health. Short term exposure to ETS can cause eye irritation, sore or dry throat, cough, chest congestion, shortness of breath and asthmatic attack.

Zambia has instituted public health acts that prohibit smoking in public places. Currently the following are smoke free premises, all health facilities, all government buildings, major towns and cities, public transport services, public utility premises including bars, restaurants, hotels, schools, colleges and universities.

Zambia does not have figures related to tobacco and health. By 1990 over 25,000 deaths were tobacco related and the economic cost exceeded R 2.5 billion. Between 1990 and 1996 the price of bread increased by 145% while a packet of cigarettes rose by 127% in Cape Town, South Africa in 2000.