HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam now has some 15.6 million smokers, mainly male, and is among the countries with the highest number of smokers in the world.

It is the result of the latest Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2 (GAST2) announced yesterday by the Ministry of Health.

The ministry said up to 40,000 reportedly died each year due to smoking-related diseases in Việt Nam.

Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyễn Viết Tiến said scientists had recently discovered more diseases triggered by smoking cigarettes.

For example, lately, scientists had proven that smokers’ descendants, including children and grandchildren, could suffer from disabilities or genetic modification. Additionally, smokers themselves faced higher risk of malnutrition than non-smokers, he said.

Under the survey, compared with 2010, the number of smokers in urban areas was down 7 per cent from 2015. The number of second-hand smokers in office buildings had decreased from 55 per cent to 42 per cent, from 54 per cent to 37 per cent in schools and from 34 per cent to 19 per cent in public transport vehicles.

This is the second time Việt Nam is participating in the global survey. It previously joined the survey in 2010. — VNS