Rising Tobacco Consumption in Algeria Sparks Health Crisis

Source from:  ANSAmed 08/06/2014

At least 15,000 people die every year in Algeria due to the effects of smoking and some 3-4,000 new cases of (mostly lung) cancer linked to tobacco consumption are recorded every year. The figure is daunting to the institutions trying to combat tobacco abuse, which continues to rise in the country despite legislation rigorously sanctioning violators.

An article of a 1985 health protection law - brought in before similar ones in many other nations - expressly prohibits smoking in public but is widely ignored, as can easily be seen in government offices and medical and educational facilities. The newly established National Anti-Tobacco Committee, which recently held its first official meeting, is faced with an emergency. According to official statistics and despite awareness raising campaigns, tobacco consumption has tripled over the past thirty years and affects a growing number of minors, who tend emulate their adult counterparts to ''feel grown up''.

Recent studies have shown that an estimated one in five teenagers is not only a smoker but a habitual one. In 2010, some 9.2% of smokers were between the ages of 13 and 15. The authorities have done little to prevent the sale of cigarettes from ubiquitous kiosks to those under age 18. The growing percentage of smokers among the population is what is most of concern, as in 1977 only 7% smoked while by 1998 the number had grown to 25% and today 43.8% of men and 6.5% of women do. The government and its structures continue to invest time, energy and resources in anti-smoking measures. Next year, in an attempt to curb consumption, taxes on tobacco will rise - but may do little to stop an epidemic of the sufferers' own choosing. Enditem