Nafia stacks the wood and lights the fire. In an hour, her husband will be home from work in the fields with their two sons to join her for dinner. Only her youngest daughter Ghanima has stayed with her mother. The first flames flicker upwards and smoke spreads through the living room of the small mud hut. Here in rural Tanzania, cooking on fire is still the norm. Nafia coughs and has to clear her throat several times - the soot that has accumulated in her lungs over the years has been causing her breathing problems for a long time. Ghanima will probably suffer a similar fate.
Chronic respiratory diseases continue to be a major problem worldwide. Asthma in particular plays a major role in this and in the emerging and developing countries of Africa, Latin America and parts of Asia there are more and more people affected. It is estimated that 340 million people worldwide currently suffer from the disease. Around 250,000 asthma-related deaths are recorded every year. The most common causes of the lung disease are tiny dust particles to which nitrogen oxides and dangerous carbon compounds adhere; often also sulphuric acid, mercury, fluorine and arsenic. But asthma is not the only health consequence of this exposure: a higher risk of strokes, cataracts or cancer of the upper respiratory tract are also included. As these diseases are not contagious, they are referred to as "non-communicable diseases (NCDs)" (non-communicable diseases). In addition to respiratory diseases, they also include diabetes and kidney disease. They are often associated with a poor quality of life, an unhealthy diet, smoking and alcohol consumption.
These NCDs account for 74% of deaths worldwide every year, 77% of which occur in emerging countries. Yet many of them could be prevented or cured with better living conditions and appropriate treatment. The WHO (World Health Organization) has of course recognized this problem. One of the main goals for the coming years is therefore to reduce these diseases.
We would also like to try to make a contribution to this through various initiatives. Our approach is primarily prevention, for example through training on healthy lifestyles. Concrete help is being provided through a program in Tanzania in which the conventional fireplaces are being replaced by modern stoves(we reported on this in the 2022 magazine, page 24). Perhaps Nafia will soon no longer have to cook in soot and her little Ghanima will be spared respiratory diseases!
