February 11, 2007
THE Chairperson of the Tanzania Tobacco Control Forum (TTCF), Ms Lutgard Kagaruki, told members of parliament at a seminar in Dodoma last weekend that the local tobacco industry was luring young people, including children into adopting “a very dangerous� habit – smoking.
Ms Kagaruki said tobacco smokers, growers and handlers are exposed to dozens of health hazards every year, most of which were fatal. She was also concerned that even the statutory warning on cigarette packs and billboards is presented in small characters and is almost invisible.
Consequently, children as young as ten years are seen puffing on cigarettes in schools these days. A few decades ago women smokers raised eyebrows for; smoking was predominantly a macho habit displayed ostentatiously by men. Today, even girls as young as ten take up smoking, she said.
The lawmakers at the seminar were also heard that underage children have been seen working in tobacco plantations. Apart from being exposed to health hazards, Ms Kagaruki said, the children are engaged in one of the worst forms of labour. “Their employers commit a punishable offence.� It has been determined that tobacco handling, which involves harvesting, curing, drying, packing and transporting, always exposes workers to serious health risks. Children working in tobacco plantations or those who help out in family farms often contract life-threatening illnesses.
In fact, children are exposed to health hazards brought on by tobacco smoke even before they are born. Pregnant women who smoke or chew tobacco risk generating an ectopic pregnancy (featus located outside the placenta) or rupturing of the placenta (abruption placenta).
Women who smoke also risk giving birth prematurely or bringing forth, underweight babies or even still-borns. Sometimes, smoking women bear children with cleft lips (split lips) or tiny legs. Sudden infant death syndrome is also common in children aged under a year. Smoking is also on record for crippling the limbs of infants or impairing their mental state. Lactating mothers who smoke wreck the health of their infants in many ways.
Respiratory complications, infected ears, laboured breathing and peptic ulcers are likely to occur. Children are also likely to get pneumonia and other respiratory problems if they live in an environment that is filled with smoke, including food curing smoke but I must stress, however, that children are particularly at greater risk when exposed to tobacco smoke.
Parents who smoke expose their children to a very hostile environment. Let us take a keener look at children’s respiratory health problems and how best to avoid or tackle them. Of course, I have drawn some of the ideas from competent paediatricians, nutritionists and midwives. Coughs, colds, pneumonia, tuberculosis and others are nasty health hazards for both children and adults.
Coughs and colds spread easily especially in overcrowded areas. I must mention expressly here that people with cough or cold should avoid coughing, sneezing or spitting near children. Sometimes, cough and cold are signs of more serious problems.
A child who is breathing rapidly or with difficulty might have pneumonia, an infection of the lungs. Pneumonia is a life-threatening disease. If it is determined that your child has pneumonia, rush him to hospital immediately. Pneumonia may not cure itself.
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It requires quick and competent medical intervention. Most cough, cold, sore throats and runny noses end without medication, but they are also signs of pneumonia, which requires antibiotics. Pneumonia kills children within a short time. If a medical worker provides antibiotics to treat pneumonia in your child, it is important that you follow his/her instructions strictly.
Give the child all the medicine for as long as the instructions say, even if the child’s condition improves. It is dangerous to terminate medication halfway. Many children die of pneumonia at home because their parents do not realise the seriousness of the illness. Child deaths from pneumonia can be prevented if parents know that rapid and difficult breathing are danger signs.
You must rush your child to a health clinic immediately if that child is breathing much more quickly than usual or if he/she is gasping for air. You may also note that the lower part of the chest sinks in when the child breathes in. The stomach may also move up and down.
There is also cause for concern if a child has a cough that persists for more than two weeks. Breast-feeding children may also fail to suckle and can exhibit frequent vomiting. Mothers can prevent pneumonia by exclusively breast-feeding for at least the first six months.
Good nourishment and full immunisation are also good shields against pneumonia. At any age, a child who is fed well is less likely to become seriously ill or die.
I must point out here that Vitamin A helps protect against severe respiratory diseases and speeds up recovery. Vitamin A is found in plentiful supply in breast-milk, liver, read palm oil, fish, dairy products, eggs, yellow fruits and green leafy vegetables, according to nutritionists.
A medical worker can also give Vitamin A supplements to your child if the need arises. Immunisation is a compulsory procedure that must be completed before the child is one year old. The child who has been fully immunised is protected against the onslaught of measles, which can lead to pneumonia and other respiratory illnesses. If your child has a harsh cough you must take him to hospital for diagnosis and treatment.
The child may have tuberculosis (TB) an infection in the lungs. Like pneumonia, tuberculosis is a serious disease that can kill a child or damage his lungs permanently. You can keep tuberculosis at bay if you ensure that your children are fully immunised. Children should also be kept away from anyone who has tuberculosis or has a cough with bloody sputum.
As is the case with other diseases, if a health worker provides special medication for tuberculosis, it is important to give the child all the medicine according to the instructions for as long as specified, even if the child condition gets better. Babies and very young children loose their body heat easily.
When they have a cough or cold, they should be kept covered and warm. Children with cough, cold, runny noses or sore throats who are breathing normally will recover without medicines. They need to be kept warm — but not overheated — and be given plenty to eat and drink. Medication should be used only if prescribed by a health worker. A child with a fever should be sponged or bathed with cool — but not cold water.
It is imperative to mention here that if a child develops temperature, malaria should be suspected. Malaria is prevalent in almost every part of Tanzania. Malaria is a fever that accounts for most child deaths in this country. It is the worst killer even among adults
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