Mizoram a state couched in north-east India is no doubt permeated with the spirit of natural beauty but it is the same state where 60 per cent of people indulge in smoking. The strange thing that has been put under the light by the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) is that 22 per cent women of Mizoram indulge in smoking, compared to the meagre national level of 2.5 per cent, which is indeed startling.
This survey has also revealed the fact, that the ratio of women indulging in smoking have a higher death rate than the women who never smoked.
In the words of Nancy Malsawmtluangi:
I sell minimum 50 packs of cigarettes and 170 paans (betel leaves laved with tobacco) every day.
That can be one of the major reasons, why women of Mizoram are topping the cancer list of the country.
I think government will have to do a lot to check this trend and will have to try hard to make people aware of its implications.
Image Credit: danitadelimont
Via: medindia