Smoking in Burundi: a lack of information and resources still present

We already knew that young people are easy prey for cigarettes. However, in Burundi, approximately 65% of the population is under 25 years old. So, how can we combat the scourge of smoking in such circumstances? Doctor Franck Nziza spoke on the subject.

A privileged target

Franck Nziza warns in particular about "aggressive" marketing, "deceptive" advertising, and the tobacco industry's use of promoting and sponsoring youth activities. For example, tobacco is sold to these populations as a seductive tool, and manufacturers even go so far as to attribute therapeutic properties to it, such as treating constipation or nosebleeds.

A lack of figures

As of May 2019, no national study had yet been conducted on tobacco consumption in Burundi, nor on its health or socioeconomic consequences. However, we know that some young people in Burundi begin smoking as early as primary school, and that early smoking more easily leads to later addiction in adolescence. The widespread use of shisha is also not without consequences for tobacco addiction. Numerous awareness-raising messages have therefore been communicated on this subject.

Prevention

An anti-smoking law, enacted in May 2018, is included in Burundi's Public Health Code. However, as of June 2019, it had not yet come into effect. As a result, young people lack information, and a 2012 study revealed that even healthcare professionals lack sufficient information to manage the consequences of smoking. Addiction centers are also nonexistent. People who want to quit smoking and need support services therefore cannot receive adequate care. This is a dramatic finding when you consider that, according to the WHO, tobacco kills approximately 8 million people each year.

Many prevention, monitoring and cessation assistance actions must therefore still be carried out to protect the Burundian population from the dangers of tobacco.

©Generation Without Tobacco

[i] "African youth, prey to the tobacco industry" https://www.generationsanstabac.org/actualites/jeunes-africaine-proie-de-lindustrie-du-tabac/

[i] Céline Pellarin, “The fight against smoking in Burundi”, interview with Franck Nziza, www.rfi.fr, June 14, 2019 http://www.rfi.fr/fr/emission/20190614-lutte-contre-le-tabagisme-burundi

©DNF - For a Zero Tobacco World |