Breast Cancer Advocate Calls for Shisha Ban (Warns of Rising Risk Among Young Women!)
Beatrice Wiafe Addai, the founder of Breast Care International and the CEO of Peace and Love Hospitals, has asked for an immediate ban on shisha smoking in Ghana because it is linked to more cases of breast cancer in women aged 28 to 40. She spoke at a Methodist Church Ghana event in Ejura, Ashanti Region, to raise awareness about breast cancer and get people screened. She said that about 5,000 people in the country get breast cancer each year, and about 2,360 of them die. She said that shisha smoking, which is becoming more popular among young women, raises the risk of breast cancer and other diseases that can’t be spread. She also asked the government to do something about it, saying that one puff of shisha is like smoking ten cigarettes and calling for a ban like the one in Uganda. She was also the Chairperson of the Ghana Non-communicable Disease Alliance, where she pushed for screening for possible health risks associated with lifestyle choices like skin bleaching, eating fast food, and drinking alcohol. She also made it clear that breast cancer affects both men and women. She also asked that all regional hospitals get mammography machines, saying that they are only available in the Ashanti and Greater Accra regions right now, which causes diagnoses to be delayed and deaths to be high. Beneficiaries praised the outreach programs for helping people find out about their cancer early and improving their chances of survival.
