Philippines top smoking country in Southeast Asia

THE Philippines is now number one in smoking in Southeast Asia, the Department of Health said on Thursday.

In a statement citing World Health Organization ( WHO) studies, Health Secretary Enrique Ona said that the country tops its regional neighbors in terms of smoking. He added that the number of teenage smokers is rising.

Boys between 13 and 15 years old comprise 28.3 percent of tobacco users in the country today, while girls in the same age group make up 17.5 percent, according to Ona.

The Health secretary said that the total annual cost of the top four smoking- related diseases— lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, coronary artery disease, and cardiovascular disease— reached P177 billion in 2011.

“In the Philippines, the top four killers of our people are diseases related to smoking: ischemic heart disease, strokes, emphysema and cancer of the lungs, trachea and the gastrointestinal tract,” Ona said. He added that tobacco use is a risk factor for six out of eight preventable deaths in the world.

Ona also said that the country’s annual spending for the treatment of smoking- related diseases was higher compared to the P26 billion collected by the government from tobacco companies. He added that excessive alcohol drinking— defined as the daily intake of more than 40 grams in men and more than 20 grams in women— is a risk factor for liver, cardiovascular, neurological, and psychiatric illnesses.

The Health department had said that at least 17.3 million people smoke in the country, while 87,000 die of tobaccorelated diseases annually.