A special exhibition was organized ahead of the inauguration of the regional intergovernmental consultative conference for political support of the Framework convention on tobacco control. Photo by Kameliya Atanasova (Sofia News Agency)
The number of smokers in Bulgaria has gone considerably up over the last years, Health Minister Radoslav Gaydarski warned.
Minister Gaydarski cited surveys showing that back in 1996 there were some 16.3% female smokers in Bulgaria, whereas in 2001 that number went up to 22.8%. Some 9% of the regular smokers are aged 13, the figures sore to 20.7% for the teens up to 15.
Sofia hosts a regional intergovernmental consultative conference for political support of the Framework convention on tobacco control. The conference is attended by delegations headed by health ministers of eight different countries.