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Report: Smoking costs Vietnam $1 billion a year
  • | dtinews.vn | November 06, 2011 02:13 PM

A report released recently by Prof. Luong Ngoc Khue, Head of the Ministry of Health\'s program to fight the harmful effects of tobacco, showed that Vietnam is among the world top 15 countries with the largest amount of smokers per capita.

Cigarettes on sales on a street of Hanoi. Tobacco claims 40,000 lives every year in Vietnam.

With 15.3 million smokers in 2010, Khue estimated that smoking was costing the country over VND 2.2 trillion (USD 1 billion) and claiming about 40,000 lives every year.

He also revealed that 67.6% adults are exposed to second-hand smoke in their homes, 49% at work.

Anti-smoking campaigns carried out in the past have not shown stellar results. Among the reasons seems to be the cheap price of tobacco in the country and illegal imports.

The Ministry of Health recently launched a large-scale awareness campaign in Hanoi.

The campaign, which will last until the first week of December, will focus getting the media to highlight the dangers of smoking. They will provide DVDs and CDs discouraging smoking in public places.

It is also expected that the law on preventing tobacco use will take effect from January 1, 2013. The law would put a ban on tobacco advertisements and promotion.

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