Street kids living on glue, need help

FRANCISTOWN: The gaunt, scrawny and always shabbily dressed street kids, whose oversised filthy clothes often hide 'glue' a substance they liberally inhale to the detriment of their health urgently need the concerted help of all stakeholders.

Often camouflaged in innocent milk boxes, the glue container itself nevertheless screams a dire warning. The bold sign is flammable liquid 3, which indicates danger.  Under precautions, users are warned against inhalation because vapour may irritate nose and upper respiratory tract. Inhalation also causes dizziness, impaired judgement and nausea. While the manufacturers do not expect people to inhale this substance they obviously see it fit to warn them that in the event of accidentally inhaling its vapour, the effects can be dire.

While one can imagine the effect that repeated and deliberate inhalation does to one's respiratory system, these youngsters do not seem to care, judging by their actions. While shops that sell this glue to these youngsters, some even younger than 10 years, can be excused to 'believing' that they want to use it for its rightful purposes, what about the cigarettes these children puff on every so often?

Editor's Comment
Routine child vaccination imperative

The recent Vaccination Day in Motokwe, orchestrated through collaborative efforts between UNICEF, USAID, BRCS, and the Ministry of Health, underscores a commendable stride towards fortifying child health services.The painful reality as reflected by the Ministry of Health's data regarding the decline in routine immunisation coverage since the onset of the pandemic, is a cause for concern.It underscores the urgent need to address the...

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