Nearly 50 Sri Lankans die daily and 20,000 annually due to smoking cigarettes and the latest surveys conducted by the Health Ministry have revealed that nearly 1.5 million people in the country are addicted to tobacco habits, Kurunegala DMO Dr. S.M.A.Priyadarshana told the Sunday Observer.
He said the manufacturing companies of tobacco products use very effective and attractive methods or devices to attract the youth towards smoking. Therefore, the use of cigarettes is still popular among both male and female youth in the country.
Nearly 5,200 awareness programs to enlighten the ill-effects of smoking will be conducted by the Health Ministry in collaboration with heads of leading schools countrywide this year to educate the school community, he said.
The World Anti- Smoking Day fell on May 31, and hence, all students and parents were educated on the issue , he said.
In addition, 80 million people die of smoking annually in the world and another 8 million die after inhaling the smoke from cigarettes, Dr. S.M.A.Priyadarshana said.
