Through The New Times, I would like to make my contribution in helping our people live a health life.

My concern is why people should avoid smoking. Many people smoke yet there are many reasons why smoking should be seen as dangerous to the smoker’s own health and that of his family.

Smoking increases the risk of cancer of the lungs and lips. The more you smoke the greater the chance of dying by cancer!

Smoking causes serious diseases of the lungs including chonic bronhotitis and emphysema.

 Smoking causes stomach ulcers or can make them worse if you already had them.

Children whose parents smoke have more cases of pneumonia and other respiratory illness than children whose parents do not smoke.

Smoking increases your chance of suffering or dying from heart diseases or shock.

Babies of mothers who smoked during pregnancy are smaller and suffer slow growth as compared to babies whose mothers did not smoke!

Parents, teachers, health workers and others who smoke set an unhealthy example for children and young people, increasing the likelihood that they will begin smoking at an early age.

Also smoking costs money, though people tend to underlook at it as an expense, for several days it adds up to a lot of money. Many of the poor persons spend more on tobacco than the country spends on a single person on its health program.

If money spent on tobacco were spent on food, children and families could be healthier.

Anyone interested in health of others should not smoke and should encourage others not to smoke!

Ruzigana J.D.
Kigali Health Institute
rujeda55@yahoo.fr