Mombasa,KENYA:Mombasa county is leading among the counties with the highest number of tobacco users in Kenya.
According to statistics by the board the country has 2.2m tobacco users and Mombasa is ranked third in the country with an estimate of 600,000 smokers just after Eastern and Central regions.
Mombasa county heath director Dr Khadija Shikeli who was speaking during the flagging off of an anti-smoking health campaign on Friday said cigarettes are not the only form of tobbaco.
“From a doctor’s perspective ‘when you smoke shisha is like smoking 10 cigarettes at once because shisha is also tobacco, lung cancer comes from cronic smoking.” Dr. Khadija Shikeli, Mombasa County health director said .
The campaign was flagged off by the National Tobacco Control Board in collaboration with ministry of health at national and county levels have at the public health department in Mwembe Tayari Mombasa County.
“The aim of launching the campaign in Mombasa is to educate and communicate to residents on the dangers of with cigarettes and Shisha.” Shikeli added.
According to the National Tobacco Control Board, shisha is as dangerous as cigarette and those selling it have to comply by issuing a danger notice to their consumers.
