8.7 percent of Egyptians regularly smoke shisha, while 1.2 percent smoke electronic cigarettes, according to Maysa Hamza, Director General of the Ministry of Health’s Environment Health Department. During the launch of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control 2030, Hamza added that 22.8 percent of Egyptians smoke some form of tobacco, 43.6 percent of who are men and 0.5 percent are women. More than half of Egypt’s population is exposed to secondhand smoke. 48.9 percent of Egyptians are exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes, and 36.5 percent in the workplace, she continued. Hamza explained that the Ministry of Health provides clinics to help stop smoking, as well as a hotline number (1680), pointing out that the line receives between 600 to 800 calls per month.

Source: Egypt Independent November 28, 2018 14:15 UTC