She highlighted that shisha is a significant contributor to the increasing breast cancer cases among women between the ages of 28 and 40.

She revealed that Ghana records around 5,000 breast cancer diagnoses annually, with approximately 2,360 women losing their lives to the disease each year.

Dr. Beatrice Wiafe shared the information during a breast cancer awareness session and clinical screening event for members of the Methodist Church Ghana at Ejura in the Ashanti Region.

The event was part of Breast Care International’s ongoing outreach initiative, focused on raising awareness about the signs and symptoms of breast cancer, the importance of early detection, and providing free clinical breast examinations to community members.

She expressed concern about young women getting into shisha smoking, noting that in the past, it was mostly men who smoked, but now women are also picking up the habit.

She pointed out that women who smoke shisha are not only at risk of breast cancer but are also more prone to contracting other non-communicable diseases.

As Chairperson of the Ghana Non-communicable Disease Alliance (GhNCDA), she stressed that the government should prioritize this issue to curb the growing health threat.

“If the youth are our future and young women are getting into shisha, which research shows one puff of shisha is equivalent to smoking 10 sticks of cigarettes, and authorities aren’t taking action, it means we’re basically setting them up to fail,” said Dr. Wiafe Addai.

“As the chairperson of the Non-communicable Diseases Alliance, we’re pleading with the government to ban shisha, just like Uganda has done.”

Dr. Beatrice Wiafe emphasized that certain lifestyle choices, such as skin bleaching, regularly eating fast food, and consuming alcoholic beverages—especially bitters—can increase a person’s risk of developing breast cancer.

She also noted that breast cancer is not exclusive to women, as men can also be affected, and urged men who smoke cigarettes to be cautious.

She emphasized the need for the government to equip all regional hospitals with mammography machines to boost breast cancer diagnosis and treatment.

According to her, Ghana has limited access, with these machines only available in the Ashanti and Greater Accra regions.

This gap means many Ghanaians, especially those outside Ashanti and Greater Accra, are missing out on crucial breast cancer screenings and care.

As a result, diagnoses are often delayed, and treatment options are limited, contributing to the country’s high breast cancer mortality rate.

Beneficiaries of breast cancer screening programs are excited about Breast Care International’s outreach efforts.

They credit these initiatives with saving lives through early detection, reducing treatment severity, and boosting survival rates.

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A total of 425 retailors were approached for the study, 384 (90 per cent) consented to collect packs and the total number of the illicit cigarette packs collected were 4461 while single sticks were sold by all retailors.

The 2023 Cancer Research UK (CRUK)-funded project was presented by Dr Arti Singh of the School of Public Health – Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology at a stakeholders’ meeting on Tobacco Industry Interference organised by the Vision for Alternative Development – Ghana (VALD-Ghana).

The percentage of cigarette brands sold in Ghana were; Kingsize 40.9, London Brown/White 20.8, Pall Mall White 11.1, Business Royal 6.7, Fine 5.2, 555 4.3, others 3.4, Oris brand 2.9, Rothmans Royals 2.6, and gold seal 2.1.

The study stated that majority of the illicit packs originate from Togo – 47 per cent followed by Nigeria-14 per cent, adding that; “Packs meant for sale in Ghana constitutes about seven per cent of the illicit packs collected.”

It indicated that one in five cigarette packs collected were illicit and that the odds of illicit cigarette sales were 3.5 folds higher in provision stores as compared to drinking bars while the sale was 67.2 folds higher in border towns as compared to non-border towns.

“The middle and coastal country zones had lower odds of illicit cigarettes sales than the northern zones.

The survey recommended the implementation of illicit tobacco national work plan or task force, development of efficient track-and-trace system, which is aligned with the protocol, and technical capacity building for law enforcement officers.

The overall aim of the project was to strengthen tobacco control by creating the supportive environment necessary for the implementation of the illicit tobacco protocol (ITP) in Ghana.

The objectives were to engage with national tobacco control stakeholders to identify key challenges and opportunities to the implementation of the ITP and create and strengthen institutional and domestic capacity via trainings and workshops.

Others were to establish a track-and-trace system, and to apply findings from the illicit tobacco study under the Tobacco Control Capacity Programme to inform the implementation of the ITP.

Ghana ratified the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products on October 22, 2021.

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According to the narrative, the deceased, Paa Kwame, had been bedridden for several years due to his advanced age and unstable health conditions.

For the time being, he is being cared for by a family member.

Upon the late Paa Kwame’s request, the caretaker manages to provide for him.

Paa Kwame, as usual, asked the caretaker to get him a cigarette, which she did.

It is believed that while he was smoking, a stub of cigarette fell from his hands and made contact with his clothes, igniting fire while he was alone in the room.

The 80-year-old man burnt into ashes.

This tragedy involving the man, who is said to be a former Accra trader, occurred on Saturday, February 18, 2023.

According to him, a similar gesture got him hooked to drinking and smoking after he was given the opportunity to sell drinks and cigarettes to customers when he was a little boy.

He explained that, out of curiosity, he tasted the locally distilled alcohol (Akpeteshie) several times and that led him to start smoking cigarettes in no time.

“If you are home with a kid, never ask them to buy jot and drinks,” he advised.

Ras Nene, the actor who played his real life gangster character in movies, added that, it took the intervention of God and being focused to escape the “street” lifestyle that has propelled his life to become better.

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The White House on Tuesday unveiled the plans which could dramatically reduce cancer deaths – a goal of President Joe Biden’s administration.

But the measure is likely to face opposition by the tobacco industry.

Smoking remains the US’s leading cause of death, accounting for 480,000 every year, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Nicotine is a highly addictive “feel good” chemical in tobacco products.

In a statement, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said that plans for a proposed product standard would establish a maximum nicotine level in cigarettes and “finish” some other tobacco products.

“Making cigarettes and other combusted tobacco products minimally addictive or non-addictive would help save lives,” FDA Commissioner Dr Robert M Califf said.

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Dr Calif added that lowering nicotine levels may decrease the likelihood that young people become addicted to cigarettes and help current smokers quit.

In 2020, an estimated 30.8 million adults in the United States smoked cigarettes. The US Surgeon General estimates that 87% of adult smokers begin by the time they turn 18.

The initiative comes after the Biden administration in February set goals of reducing the cancer death rate by at least 50% over the next 25 years, as part of his Cancer Moonshot campaign.

But experts say it could take at least a year for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates cigarettes, to issue a proposed rule which could then be delayed by opposition, according to the Washington Post.

It added the tobacco industry, which is likely to be fiercely opposed to such a big change in products, could challenge a final regulation in court.

The viral footage viewed millions of times since surfacing online Sunday shows the unidentified daredevil springing into action in the southern port city of Berdyansk instead of waiting for Ukrainian bomb disposal units.

One 38-second clip shows the courageous man, clad in jeans and a black coat with a cigarette precariously hanging from his lip, gripping the landmine with two hands after apparently finding it in a roadway.

He then walks the device — which did not detonate in the video — into a nearby forest as an onlooker records his stunning bravery.

The man’s fearlessness in the face of Russia’s invasion quickly took off on social media, with some praising him as an absolute “badass.”

“Ukrainian men are picking up LAND MINES with their bare hands while smoking cigarettes and walking them to safety,” one tweet read. “American men are picking up cigarettes and joining truck convoys because masks are really annoying.”

“You may think you’re tough, but are you a Ukrainian citizen removing a land mine while smoking a dart tough?” another tweet read.

Some online identified the device as a TM-62 land mine allegedly planted under a nearby bridge by Russian forces. Others claimed the footage is another example of extreme bravery by everyday citizens — days after another Ukrainian man desperately tried to block a Russian military convoy by stepping in front of a speeding truck.

“You cannot defeat these people, go home Russia,” another tweet read.

The clip also impressed Texas Rep. Gene Wu, a Democrat from southwest Houston.

“This is why the Ukrainians will win: Ukrainian see anti-tank mine,” Wu tweeted. “Ukrainian picks up anti-tank mine. Ukrainian moves anti-tank mine barehanded. Ukrainian does it while smoking.”

“Nothing to see here,” another commenter deadpanned.

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She revealed that despite her achievements in the music industry as a young singer, she suffered from insomnia during that time.

In an interview with Franky 5 on ‘This Is Gospel’ on Hitz FM, Miss Logan disclosed she had a strong sense that she had taken the wrong path as an artiste.

For a period of about eight years, the then secular singer revealed that her growth as an artist became rather stunted soon after releasing the hit track ‘Run Away’.

The Lynx Entertainment act said she was thrown into a state of confusion leading to months of depression, leading her to find some semblance of solace in smoking.

“It was almost like the Holy Spirit was chastising me for the choice that I was taking. That manifested through sleepless nights…I can’t explain the feeling. It was like my spirit was rejecting something. I knew but I was running away from it,” she recalled.

“It went from a few sticks to a pack [of cigarette] then to two packs and it just became my addiction…I was very depressed. The feeling of not fitting into that [secular] space got me depressed,” the singer added.

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According to her, she had an encounter with God one evening and that changed everything.

“I can’t explain how I was feeling but I was at my lowest. And right there and then, I heard this song [by Shirley Caesar titled ‘He’ll Do It Again’ in my mind. I have sung that song so many times but this time the words were louder,” she narrated.

“I broke down crying…I just realised I had had an encounter with God. I got up and I felt better,” she added.

She also revealed that she was tempted to go back to smoking while on a visit to the United States of America.

Thankfully, she was asked to show her identification card before she could purchase the cigarette, which she did not have on her at that time.

The gospel minister believes that that was God’s miraculous Hand that prevented her from going back to her addiction.

She is currently focusing on using her vocal skills for gospel music; sharing the good news with others and ministering in church.

Watch the interview below: