By Xinhua,
Canberra : The Cancer Council Victoria in Victorian State in south Australia said on Thursday that smoking related illnesses kill more than 3,000 Australians in the state a year under the age of 50 – leaving behind nearly 10,500 sons and daughters.
The statistic released by the Cancer Council said five percent of Victorian adults with children aged 12 or younger are smokers.
“The fact is that every week four Victorians lose a parent under the age of 50 to a smoking-related illness,” Quit Victoria executive director Fiona Sharkie said while launching a powerful new television campaign aimed at encouraging parents to quit smoking.
“Sadly, when it comes to smoking-caused death, people from all age groups are affected, not just the elderly as is often thought,” Australian Associated Press quoted her as saying in Melbourne, the capital city of Victoria.
Sharkie said the new campaign, which airs from Sunday night, powerfully depicted the personal and emotional impact that smoking-caused illnesses had on the lives of smokers’ families.
She said smokers who had already viewed the campaign had almost unanimously said it made them feel like quitting for their children.