Solid cooking fuels contributing to rise of airway disease

COPD presents with cough, shortness of breath and cough with some sputum. [iStockphoto]

It is worrying that as much as the Ministry of Health (MoH) is banking on preventive and promotive health, the majority of Kenyans are not aware of health hazards caused by unclean cooking energy, more so the use of firewood, a major contributor to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) that is silently killing individuals, with rural dwellers being mostly affected.

Dr Joseph Aluoch, a pulmonologist, explains that COPD is a problem that is associated with difficulty in breathing because it blocks the airwaves. The disease, also known as airway disease, presents with cough, shortness of breath and cough with some sputum.