Govt Publishes New Graphic Warning Signs For Cigarette Packets

The government has published new graphic warning signs for printing on cigarette packets to create awareness of their health effects.

Under Section 21(4) of the Tobacco Control Act, tobacco products are required to have warning labels and messages, which are clearly visible and not easily distorted.

Moreover, the labels should be represented in both English and Swahili.

“IN EXERCISE of the powers conferred by section 21 (4) of the Tobacco Control Act, the Cabinet Secretary for the Health prescribes the images set out in the Schedule as the form in which the warning required under section 21 of the Act shall appear,” In a gazette notice, Health Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa said.

The use of tobacco products has been linked to cancer as they alter; they contain chemicals that damage the DNA.

An IREX Venture (DG) research manuscript on Mortality From Tob showed that between 2012 and 2021, Kenya experienced 60,228 deaths attributed to tobacco-related diseases, including respiratory diseases, diabetes mellitus, malignant cancers, tuberculosis, and cardiovascular diseases among adults aged 35 years and older.

“The age of 35 years is significant as these are classified as premature deaths that occur when people are still economically productive,” the report showed.

“Out of the 60,228 observed deaths, 9,943 (16.5 per) were attributed to tobacco smoking.”