Magharebia

The preliminary results of a survey carried out by the Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Development Research (FOREM) on smoking in Algiers, Ain Defla and Ouargla shows 13 per cent of Algerian schoolchildren smoke, of which 11 per cent smoke more than one pack per day and 25 per cent start smoking before age ten. Girls constituted 1.5 per cent of the figure.

"Algeria is classified at the top of the list of the countries afflicted by lung cancer related directly to smoking," said FOREM president Dr. Mustapha Khiati. He suggests massive public awareness campaigns to combat youth smoking. (Liberte, Infosoir)