Cameroon has become the latest African country to ban Shisha pipes after Kenya, Gambia, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Ghana.
According to the health ministry, around 46 percent of Cameroon youth smoke Shisha pipes and that poses a severe risk to their health.
There is a “misconception” among youth that shishas are less harmful than cigarettes. Based on this misconception, the British Heart Foundation stated that a one-hour shisha session might be the equivalent of smoking over 100 cigarettes.
The research reveals that, during a waterpipe use session, the user will inhale large doses of toxicants which vary from less than one to tens of cigarette counterparts.
The report stated that these toxicants have been connected to addiction, heart and lung diseases, and cancer in people who smoke cigarettes and can lead to similar outcomes in waterpipe users if these toxicants are absorbed in the body in appreciable amounts.
Shisha is a mixture of tobacco, molasses, glycerine and flavourings.
Shisha smoking is very common in Africa and the regulations of tobacco have become a burden on many African countries as countries like Kenya and Sudan keep amending their regulations.
