Doctors in the UAE are warning residents about the risks of respiratory and other diseases due to a reported significant increase in shisha usage across the country. A recent survey by AIR Global indicates a notable drop in cigarette smoking and a substantial rise in shisha consumption over the last 12 months in the UAE and several other nations. Ronan Barry, the chief legal and corporate affairs officer at AIR Global, links the increase in shisha use to a desire for social experiences. Dr. Mais M Mauwfak, an internal medicine specialist at Thumbay University Hospital in Ajman, has noted multiple cases of acute eosinophilic pneumonia among shisha smokers. She emphasizes that shisha poses a higher risk of respiratory diseases, partly due to shared tubes and potential ingestion of unclean parts, which can lead to infections in the upper respiratory tract. Dr. Mauwfak further states that in her practice, many patients diagnosed with pneumonia were shisha smokers rather than cigarette smokers. Dr. Humberto Choi, a pulmonologist at Cleveland Clinic, asserts that all forms of nicotine, including shisha, cigarettes, and vaping, are unsafe. The survey shows a 21% decrease in cigarette smoking, indicating a shift towards alternative smoking methods in the UAE, USA, Germany, Spain, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq. The research, commissioned by Advanced Inhalation Rituals (AIR Global) and involving 14,326 adults across six countries, found an average of 18.5% new shisha users in 2023, totaling 20.8 million. The trend predicts a rise to 24.6 million shisha users by 2024, a 18.27% increase, and 32.3 million by 2026, a 55.28% increase. The global shisha market, currently valued at $19 billion, is expected to grow to $22 billion by 2026. According to the World Health Organisation, smoking is responsible for over eight million deaths worldwide, including 1.3 million from passive smoking.