An eminent health expert has stressed on the need for people to realize the dangers that tobacco has on their health saying it causes diseases such as tuberculosis.

Speaking to Yoneco FM online on World No Tobacco Day which falls on May 31 annually, the expert Maziko Matemba said Malawi is struggling to promote the anti-smoking campaign because its economy relies on tobacco.

“Malawi has found itself in a fix because tobacco is the major forex earner but at the same time people’s health is at risk if they continue to use tobacco,” he said.

Matemba said it is pleasing to note that government is taking steps to ensure the country finds alternative sources of forex than the current crop.

Statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO) indicate that roughly 6 million people die from tobacco related ailments.

The theme for this year’s world no tobacco day is “commit to quit”.