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Agency
steps up drive to highlight dangers of smoking
The
drive to encourage smokers to beat their habit gathered
momentum today as the Health Promotion Agency for Northern
Ireland launched the latest phase of the ‘Every
cigarette is doing you damage’ campaign.
Ninety
per cent of all lung cancers here are related to smoking
and this new campaign shows in graphic detail how breathing
in tobacco smoke can cause lung cancer to develop.
Speaking
at the launch, Dr Brian Gaffney, Chief Executive of the
Health Promotion Agency said:
“This latest phase of the ‘Every cigarette is doing you damage’ campaign
explains how smoking enables lung cancer to start developing. We hope it will
make smokers think seriously about the consequences of smoking and that it will
motivate them to stop.
This
latest campaign includes a television advertisement which
shows graphically how smoking attacks a vital gene which
protects lung cells from cancer and explains that one damaged
cell is all it takes to start lung cancer growing. Nine
out of every ten lung cancer cases here are directly attributed
to smoking and it is important that smokers are made aware
of this fact.”
Earlier
phases of this campaign, which highlighted the link between
smoking and stroke and smoking and heart disease, have
been very effective. Evaluations of these phases have indicated
an increase in the number of smokers attempting to quit.
Thousands of smokers have also sought help to stop smoking
by calling the Smokers’ Helpline.
Dr Ruth
Eakin, Consultant Oncologist at Belfast City Hospital,
added her support to the campaign, saying:
“The link between smoking and lung cancer is absolute. This new phase of
the ‘Every cigarette is doing you damage’ campaign is a
very important step towards making smokers aware of the strong association between
smoking and lung cancer.
“Despite
advances in the treatment of cancer the recovery rate for
these people is nowhere near as good as it is for the other
common cancers such as breast and bowel cancer. The biggest
advance by a long way would be to get rid of cigarettes.
Even then, there would still be many people developing
lung cancer for the next 20 years, but at least it would
eventually become a disease of the past. The unfortunate
reality is that for every five people, who have to be told
that they have lung cancer, four of them will be dead within
one year of diagnosis.
“I
work with many lung cancer patients and have to see first
hand the devastating consequences. It is not only the person
themselves, but so often the pain of their immediate family
and friends who are with them, which is so difficult. I
could not emphasise enough my support for this campaign,
and would strongly urge smokers to stop smoking, before
it is too late.”
Dr Gaffney added:
“Three thousand people here die from illnesses related to smoking every
year. Inpatient care linked to smoking in Northern Ireland costs at least £22
million every year and one million working days are lost every year as a result
of smoking. We urge health and education professionals to keep working together
to encourage and help people to stop smoking. This campaign and other campaigns
throughout Northern Ireland are making a difference, but the human and social
costs of smoking to Northern Ireland are still too high.”
The Smokers’ Helpline,
on 0800 858585, offers help and advice
on stopping smoking and will be highlighted during the
new phase of the ‘Every cigarette is doing you
damage’ campaign.
END
Notes
to editors:
- The
campaign launch will take place on Wednesday, 11 June
2003 at 10.30am at the Health Promotion Agency, 18 Ormeau
Avenue, Belfast. Media are invited to attend. At the
launch Dr Brian Gaffney, Chief Executive of the Health
Promotion Agency and Dr Ruth Eakin, Consultant Oncologist
at Belfast City Hospital will be available for interview.
- There
are a number of smoking cessation services available
for people in Northern Ireland. These can be accessed
through Health and Social Services Boards and Trusts
and the Ulster Cancer Foundation. The Smokers’ Helpline
on 0800 858585 will be able to direct
people to support services. Support and advice for smokers
can also be obtained through GPs and pharmacists.
For
further information:
Contact
Sinead Curran or Margaret McCrory at the Health Promotion
Agency on 028 9031 1611.
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