This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Health in Scotland annual report
06/11/2006
A Scotland in which lung cancer is virtually wiped out is a real possibility in years to come if the reduction in deaths speeds up as expected, Chief Medical Officer Harry Burns said today in his first annual report.
The smoking ban, which has reduced passive smoking rates and is showing early signs of encouraging more people to quit, will reduce lung cancer rates to just a few hundred cases a year in the future, said Dr Burns.
The smoking ban and other public health measures outlined in today's report are also having an impact on driving down the incidence of conditions like heart disease and stroke.
Presenting his first annual report during lung cancer awareness month, Dr Burns said:
"Imagining Scotland with no lung cancer is not trivial speculation.
"In the 1960s, one in 100 men died of lung cancer. Today, rates are falling all the time and thanks to the smoking ban, I expect the reduction in deaths to accelerate until dying from the disease becomes a rare occurrence.
"Anecdotal evidence shows that since the smoking ban, there has been a surge in the numbers of smokers seeking help to give up.
"The number of people giving up smoking as a result of the ban and the fact that public places are now smoke-free will also be the most important factors in cutting Scotland's rates of not just lung cancer, but a host of other conditions like heart disease, stroke and asthma.
"Figures out last week showed that deaths from heart disease fell by 5.2 per cent between 2004 and 2005 and the overall incidence has fallen by 25 per cent in the last ten years.
"But it's not just the smoking ban that is making a difference - the availability of new treatments on the NHS has also helped drive down the risk of heart disease.
"Heart disease is now being treated more often as a chronic medical condition rather than an acute one, thanks to medical advances and drugs like statins.
"As well as banning smoking, there are a range of other measures we are taking to tackle the health challenges we face as a nation.
"There are many positive signs that the health of the nation is improving: life expectancy is up, breast feeding rates are increasing, the dental health of children is improving and immunisation rates are up.
"I recognise that much still needs to be done and there is no room for complacency. That is why we are taking action to encourage Scots to eat a better diet, take more exercise and develop a healthier relationship with alcohol. And we are focusing our efforts on those who are most disadvantaged and have the greatest health needs.
"All the signs show that Scots are starting to take action to help the nation's health turn the corner."