3013-CHINA-SMOKING-3013-ASIA-NOV12
August 28th, 2009 | by admin |
China is home to the world’s largest smoking population, and the country is facing a serious health crisis. A recent report warns that tens of millions of people in China will die from respiratory illnesses and lung cancer over the next 25 years if nothing is done to reduce smoking.
Experts predict there will be 65 million deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and 18 million deaths from lung cancer in China between 2003 and 2033.
Respiratory diseases are already among the 10 leading causes of deaths
in China.
According the World Health Organisation, one out of every three cigarettes lit in the world is in China.
Ma Guanghua, a migrant worker in Beijing, says smoking has become a part of his life.
[Ma Guanghua, Migrant Worker]:
“Of course I want to quit, but I have been smoking for so many years that it is so difficult for me to give up.”
Feng Xiaodong is seeking treatment for a lung problem at a hospital for respiratory diseases in Beijing.
[Feng Xiaodong, Hospital Patient]:
“It’s your surroundings. Because everyone smokes, if you’re the only one who doesn’t, it feels a bit uncomfortable. It’s mostly the surroundings you’re in.”
Out of the army of smokers in China, Ma and Feng are exceptions. While 45 and 50 percent of men in urban and rural areas were regular smokers in 2003, the report states only 5-6 percent of them tried to quit.
Researchers warn that the burden of treating smoking-related diseases is likely to be heavy for China, and the country will suffer reduced productivity.
If present smoking trends continue, 100 million Chinese men will die of smoking-related ailments between 2000 and 2050.
Family members of patients suffering from lung diseases say information on the dangers of smoking is hard to come by.
[Mrs. Li, Wife of Smoker]:
“Smoking is definitely bad for your health. But I think in society there’s still not enough publicity about the dangers of smoking. In particular, it seems that there is still very little educational information,
and when we searched online there wasn’t much either.”
Some surveys show two-thirds of Chinese people think smoking does little or no harm.
Duration : 0:2:27
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