Tobacco is a health burden with total medical examination and treatment costs, sickness and death costs of 108,000 billion VND/year, according to Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan.
The information was given by Ms. Lan at the response meeting World No Tobacco Day, May 26, in Hanoi.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), each year there are more than 8 million deaths globally related to tobacco use. In Vietnam, according to preliminary estimates of the Health Economics Association in 2022, the total costs related to medical examination and treatment, illness and premature death due to diseases related to tobacco use is 108,000 billion VND a year. . This number is equivalent to Southeast Asian countries, but less than China and the United States.
“Smoking has been causing a huge health and economic burden,” the Minister said, calling on people to quit smoking to protect the health of themselves and the community.
In addition, the report summarizing 10 years of implementation of the Law on Tobacco Harm Prevention shows that the rate of cigarette use among adult men decreased by an average of 0.5% per year, leading to the rate of exposure to tobacco smoke. Second-hand smoke is also significantly reduced.
“These are very encouraging results, but these achievements are at risk of being destroyed by the rapid increase in the rate of new tobacco use, mainly electronic cigarettes and heated cigarettes,” Ms. Lan said, adding that in the 13-15 year old group, the rate of e-cigarette use has doubled from 3.5% in 2022, to 8% in 2023.
The Minister of Health and delegates rode bicycles to respond to the communication campaign to prevent harmful effects of tobacco. Image: Tran Minh
Dr. Angela Pratt, Chief Representative of the World Health Organization in Vietnam, also acknowledged that new tobacco products are very harmful to health. These products make young people familiar with nicotine and attracted, risking long-term addiction, causing serious damage to their health.
“All evidence points to a sharp increase in the rate of new tobacco use among Vietnamese youth. We must act now to prevent this, before it is too late,” said Dr. Angela.
World No Tobacco Day on May 31 this year was launched by WHO with the theme “Protecting children from the impacts of the tobacco industry”, to request the tobacco industry to stop targeting children, teenagers with products harmful to their health.
WHO also calls on governments to implement strong tobacco prevention and control measures to protect children from the effects of tobacco advertising, including marketing through social networks and platforms. digital platform.