While there is no doubt that smoking does no good to anyone, it has been revealed in a recent research that children who are exposed to smoking in their home are as much as twice likely to face lethal consequences. It has been claimed that over 600 children a year in Britain are reported to have been identified with meningitis due to the same.

It is believed that passive smoking had the tendency to weaken immune system of children to the level that they become all the more vulnerable to diseases, as per the report published in the online journal BMC Public Health.

It has been found in the research led by Dr Rachael Murray, from the UK Centre for Tobacco Studies at the University of Nottingham, that 13% of the new mothers are smokers, thereby giving a fair amount of idea as to how the disease affects children, especially in the under 5s.

For the research, the team has reviewed 18 previous studies on the same and concluded the potential link between passive smoking and meningococcal disease.

Thought there is a lot to be studied before finding as to how second hand smoke is affecting these children, it is strongly believed that parents must be encouraged not to smoke in the home or around children.