Anti-tobacco Campaign

Blue-uniformed hospital staff, flyers and no-smoking signs sprinkled Nairobi CBD in the week leading to World No Tobacco Day 2018 as M.P. Shah Hospital unrolled an ambitious anti-tobacco campaign to curb the popular smoking habit that has taken a serious toll on the country’s health.

Dubbed “Tobacco Breaks Hearts,” the campaign focused on feasible actions and measures that stakeholders and members of the public can take to reduce the risks to heart health posed by tobacco.

Vital information was disseminated as the hospital dispatched a team to sensitize the public about the harmful effects of tobacco use. The team spread anti-tobacco messages at Sarit Centre before proceeding to Nairobi CBD where they made stops at Tom Mboya Street,  Bus Station Smoking Zone, Accra Road, Moi Avenue and finally at Jevanjee Gardens.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that tobacco use is currently responsible for the death of about 6 million people annually across the world with 80% of these deaths occurring in low and middle-income countries like Kenya. This includes about 600,000 people who are also estimated to die from the effects of second-hand smoke.

Estimates by the Ministry of Health show that over 25 percent of adult Kenyans smoke on daily. The smoking rate is especially high among men at 55 percent. The report further indicates that smoking has created a serious health crisis in the country, where more than 3 million Kenyans have made cigarettes part of the social fabric, with millions more exposed to secondhand smoke, heightening the rate of respiratory and heart diseases.