Kenya to introduce pictorial health warnings

Cigarette manufacturers, distributors and importers will not be allowed to put brand names or trademarks on cigarette packages and wrappers starting June this year.

According to the new Tobacco Control Regulations 2014 published by the Ministry of Health on Monday, the cigarette packages will instead carry health warnings and pictograms on the front and back respectively.

“A person shall not manufacture, sell, distribute or import a tobacco product for sale in Kenya, whose package carries a name, brand name, text, trademark or pictorials or any representation or sign which suggest that the tobacco product is less harmful to health rather than other tobacco,” a section of the regulations stated.

The pictogram is required to be printed in full colour, contrasting with the background to ensure noticeability while the health warning messages will be printed in black and white.

The health warning message on the front of the package will be printed in English while the back package will be in Kiswahili.

High smoking rate in Cameroon

A study carried out has revealed that over one million Cameroonians aged 15 years and above are active smokers.

By Eleanor Ayuketah / Crtv

This analysis was made public recently in Yaounde as outcome of a survey carried out in 2013 by the National Institute of Statistics under the framework of the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS).

Other alarming statistics indicate that 15 per cent of the active smokers started smoking before the age of 15.

The Minister of Public Health, Andre Mama Fouda mentioned that the study will help the Ministry reorganise its strategy in the fight against tobacco.

A WHO resident – representative, Dr Charlotte Faty Ndiaye explained that since tobacco is a silent killer, there is a need to work with children in order to prevent tobacco consumption at their level.

The Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) was carried out by National Institute of Statistics with coordination from the Ministry of Public Health. The Ministry was technically assisted in the endeavour by the WHO.

Santé: sport et tabac, un cocktail Molotov

A l’occasion de la Coupe d’Afrique des Nations 2015  en Guinée-Equatoriale, la Coalition Camerounaise Contre le Tabac(C3T) revient sur les relations entre le tabac et le sport. Émotions passions, dépassement de soi, le tabac et le sport ont une relation complexe qui dure depuis des générations. Aujourd’hui, si le tabac fait toujours partie intégrante de notre société, il n’est clairement plus le bienvenu dans le milieu du sport, car les progrès scientifiques font savoir que cette relation produit à coup sure l’effet Molotov.  Pourtant malgré cela, il n’est pas rare de  voir des fumeurs enfiler leurs baskets ou crampons le dimanche après-midi. Mais quel est alors le degré d’incompatibilité entre sport et cigarette ? Dans quelle mesure le sport est-il bénéfique au fumeur ? La C3T vous amène sueur dans son voyage autour de la planète sport.

Il y’a de cela des années, bien avant la monté en puissance de la science, tabac et sport vivaient une surprenante relation. A cette époque, tout le monde fumait par mimétisme. Même les grands sportifs s'y sont essayés. Maradona, Cruijff, Ronaldo, Zidane. Beaucoup ont été photographiés au moins une fois la clope en main, sans que cela ne pose vraiment souci. Sauf que petit à petit, la cigarette est passée de simple phénomène de société à l'assurance d'un cancer généralisé. Guy Roux, entraîneur français a vu cette évolution : « Au début de ma carrière, il y avait beaucoup de fumeurs dans les jeunes. Je me souviens qu'ils se cachaient. Mais à l'époque tout le monde fumait. Les politiques, Chirac, De Gaulle, les stars, tous fumaient beaucoup. »  Cette époque a d’ailleurs  été marqué par l’investissement massif de l’industrie du tabac dans le monde du sport, notamment par le sponsoring, le mécénat et le parrainage.  Puis vint la lutte anti-tabac, les politiques de santé et la notion de nocivité

Cameroon: WHO Warns Against Water-Pipe Smoking

© George MBELLA / cameroon-tribune.cm

In several neighbourhoods of the capital city, Yaounde, youth these days are often seen in a growing number of pubs, smoking from tubes connected to an unusual type of designed "jar" containing flavoured tobacco and water.

The new kind of water-pipe smoking, also called Shisha or Hookah, is said to be risk-free according to promoters who have introduced the practice into the country. This cannot be true, for the World Health Organisation (WHO) has for several years now been warning that water-pipe smoking is dangerous to health.

"Contrary to ancient lore and popular belief, the smoke that emerges from a water pipe contains numerous toxicants known to cause lung cancer, heart disease and other diseases," WHO said. In its "advisory note," the UN health agency warned that using water-pipes to consume tobacco, which is commonly mixed with molasses and fruit flavours, usually exposes a person to more smoke over a longer period of time than do cigarettes.