Olfa Saidi, head of noncommunicable diseases at the World Health Organization’s office in Tunisia, reported that smoking causes 20% of all deaths, making Tunisia first in the Arab world in terms of the percentage of smokers.
Al-Saidi indicated in statements to the Tunisian News Agency that the rate of starting to smoke cigarettes reaches the age of seven in Tunisia, and she added that this trend is increasing in conjunction with the emergence of new products such as electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco devices, which are gaining great popularity among young groups.
Al-Saidi confirmed that there is a noticeable increase in the rate of smoking consumption among women and girls, based on the observation that about 25% of Tunisian youth in the age group from 15 to 17 years are smokers, explaining that 18% of the total deaths due to smoking are due to victims of passive smoking. .
These statistics come in light of Tunisia’s commitment to the International Convention against Tobacco since 2003.
It is noteworthy that smoking causes the death of more than 13,000 Tunisians annually, i.e. a rate of 30 to 40 deaths per day, and that 50 percent of smokers die before the age of 65 years due to smoking, which is the main cause of lung cancer, as 90 percent are from this type of tumor. Caused by smoking.
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