Canada's top doctor urges mask wearing during sex, no kissing

OTTAWA —  Canada's chief public health officer on Wednesday urged couples to wear masks during sex to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.

"Sex can be complicated in the time of COVID-19, especially for those without an intimate partner in their household or whose sexual partner is at higher risk for COVID-19," Theresa Tam said in a statement.

"The lowest risk sexual activity during COVID-19 involves yourself alone," she added. 

But those having sex with a partner who is at risk or from  outside their household should be "skipping kissing and avoiding face-to-face contact or closeness (and) consider using a mask that covers the nose and mouth.”

Tam said people should also limit their consumption of alcohol or "other substances so you and your partner(s) are able to make safe decision."

She noted that there is a "very low likelihood" of transmission of the new coronavirus through semen or vaginal fluids. But she still urged condom use.

The number of COVID-19 cases rose on Wednesday to 129,705, including 9,171 deaths. Almost 90 percent of the people who fell sick have recovered.

Agence France-Presse

Coronavirus health fears outweigh concern for economy - global survey

LONDON - A substantial majority of people around the world want their governments to prioritize saving lives over moves to restart economies being hammered by measures aimed at halting the spread of the new coronavirus, a global survey found.

The latest findings of the "Edelman Trust Barometer," which for two decades has polled tens of thousands of people on their trust in core institutions, challenge the notion that "lockdown fatigue" is rising among populations hit by the pandemic.

Overall, 67% of the 13,200-plus people interviewed between April 15 and April 23 agreed with the statement: "The government's highest priority should be saving as many lives as possible even if it means the economy will recover more slowly."

Just one-third backed the assertion: "It is becoming more important for the government to save jobs and restart the economy than to take every precaution to keep people safe."

The study, produced by US communications company Edelman, was based on fieldwork carried out in Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Some 76% of Japanese respondents agreed public health should be prioritized over the economy against just 56% in China, where the outbreak was first detected late last year. China now has only a handful of new cases a day, after imposing a strict lockdown earlier.

In Canada, the UK and France, 70% or more of the respondents were in favor of prioritizing health concerns. In the United States, where anti-lockdown protests in some cases were encouraged by President Donald Trump, the figure was 66%.

"It's complicated because you have two crises simultaneously - a health crisis and an economic crisis," said Richard Edelman, CEO of Edelman.

"But people are saying, 'We've already had six to seven weeks of this (restriction on activity), what's another week or two?'"

Governments around the world have varied widely in their response to the pandemic since its first known outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan in early December.

Authorities in New Zealand and Vietnam have been praised for early moves to halt the spread with social distancing measures while governments in the United States, UK, Japan, Russia and elsewhere have faced criticism for a lack of preparedness.

The Edelman survey found, however, that trust in the institution of government had risen across the board, with an overall gain of 11 points from its January survey to an all-time study high of 65%.

That figure reflected an appreciation of state support for the economy and the work of public health services. Conversely, only 29% agreed that CEOs and business leaders were doing an "outstanding job" meeting the demands of the moment.

"Business will be looked at very closely in the months ahead," Edelman said, citing how companies perform in areas such as retaining and reskilling workers or using small businesses in their supply chains. 

-reuters-

WHO raises global virus risk to maximum level

Geneva, Switzerland - The World Health Organization on Friday raised its global risk assessment of the new coronavirus to its highest level after the epidemic spread to sub-Saharan Africa and financial markets slumped.

The virus has proliferated around the globe over the past week, emerging on every continent except Antarctica, prompting many governments and businesses to try to stop people from travelling or gathering in crowded places.

It has killed more than 2,800 people and infected over 84,000 worldwide -- the vast majority in China -- since it emerged apparently from an animal market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late December.

But it is its rapid spread to new zones that has authorities concerned -- in the past 24 hours, it has affected nine new countries, from Azerbaijan to Mexico to New Zealand.

"We have now increased our assessment of the risk of spread and the risk of impact of COVID-19 to very high at global level," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters.

"We do not see evidence as yet that the virus is spreading freely in communities. As long as that's the case, we still have a chance of containing this virus."

Global investors nevertheless ran scared, with world markets suffering their worst week since the 2008 financial crisis.

The chair of the US Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, said the central bank stood at the ready to intervene if needed, given the "evolving" risks to the world's largest economy posed by the deadly outbreak.

New drastic measures were put in place: Switzerland cancelled all gatherings of more than 1,000 people, and Saudi Arabia banned Gulf citizens from its holy cities of Mecca and Medina.

"This is not a time for panic. It is time to be prepared -- fully prepared," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.

- 'Struggling with containment' -

Those efforts come as the number of deaths and new infections has been tapering off in China, following unprecedented quarantine efforts locking down tens of millions of people in the worst-hit cities. 

But infections elsewhere have started to surge, with Iran, Italy and South Korea becoming the major new hotspots and cases being confirmed in around 50 countries.

"We see a number of countries struggling with containment," said Michael Ryan, head of the WHO's health emergencies program.

The WHO has voiced particular concern about Africa's preparedness, warning that the continent's health care systems were ill-equipped to respond to a COVID-19 epidemic.

Cases had previously been reported in Egypt and Algeria, but not in the sub-Saharan region until Friday when Nigeria reported its first case: an Italian man in densely populated Lagos.

In Iran, unnamed health system sources told the BBC that at least 210 people had died of the coronavirus -- far beyond the official death toll of 34, but a health ministry spokesman angrily denied that figure.

- Schools closed, events cancelled -

The coronavirus crisis is affecting everything from global production to schools to sporting events, with FIFA warning Friday that international football matches could be postponed.

Several companies have said they expect the virus to hit their earnings because of weaker demand.

Oil prices also slipped again, with Brent oil for April delivery sinking as low as $50.05 a barrel.

Analysts have warned that China, the world's second-largest economy, will see a major cut in growth this quarter as the country remains largely paralyzed by quarantines and containment measures.

- China hope -

Still, signs in China offered hope that the outbreak could be contained.

China reported 44 more deaths on Friday, raising its toll to 2,788, with 327 new cases -- the lowest daily figure for new infections in more than a month.

The virus has mostly killed the elderly or people with pre-existing health conditions.

South Korea also now has the most cases outside China, with more than 2,000 infections and 13 deaths.

The virus has had wide-ranging impact, even forcing K-pop megastars BTS to cancel four Seoul concerts scheduled for April.

- British cruise ship passenger dies -

In Japan, the health ministry said a British man who was on board a coronavirus-stricken cruise ship quarantined near Tokyo had died. More than 700 others on the ship have tested positive.

The governor of Japan's rural northern island of Hokkaido urged people to stay at home this weekend in a desperate effort to contain the outbreak.

In Europe, the largest epicenter is Italy with 650 cases and 17 deaths -- mostly in cities in the north.

Wide-ranging measures to halt the spread of the virus have affected tens of millions of people in northern Italy, with schools closed and cultural and sporting events cancelled.

Experts said the virus had probably "circulated unnoticed for several weeks" before the first confirmed cases -- possibly since January.

burs-dt/sst/ft

Agence France-Presse

California confirms second US coronavirus case of unknown origin

LOS ANGELES, United States - California health officials on Friday confirmed the second case in the United States of the new coronavirus believed to have been transmitted to a person who did not travel overseas or come in contact with anyone known to be ill.

"This new case indicates that there is evidence of community transmission but the extent is still not clear," said Sara Cody, director of public health for Santa Clara County, near San Francisco.

"What we know now is that the virus is here, present at some level, but we still don't know to what degree," she added.

The patient in the second case of community spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 is an adult woman with chronic health issues. She is being treated at a local hospital.

Cody said the woman's doctor had reached out to health officials on Wednesday evening, concerned she may have contracted the virus.

Authorities have identified dozens of people the woman had come in contact with and they were quarantined in their homes.

"An important priority... for us is to conduct public health surveillance to determine the extent of what's happening," Cody said.

The virus has infected at least 80,000 people around the world, with most cases recorded in China, where the outbreak started.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Malaysia confirms 3 new cases of 2019-nCov infection, now at 7

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's Health Ministry said on Wednesday three more people had been infected with the new coronavirus, taking the total to seven, all of whom are Chinese citizens.

The new cases involve a 4-year-old girl, a 52-year-old man and the mother of two children confirmed infected earlier, the ministry said in a statement.

Authorities said the mother had initially tested negative and had stayed in Malaysia to take care of her children - grandsons of a 66-year-old man who tested positive in Singapore for the coronavirus last week.

Malaysia this week imposed a temporary ban on Chinese nationals arriving from Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, and surrounding Hubei province. The country said on Wednesday it was in talks with China to evacuate its 78 citizens from Wuhan.

Separately, Malaysia's communications regulator said it has detained a person accused of spreading fake news on the coronavirus.

The person was arrested over a Facebook post that contained false information on the outbreak, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission said. 

As of Wednesday, the 2019 novel coronavirus, which originated from Wuhan, China, has killed at least 132 people and infected some 6,000. 

Confirmed cases of the virus have been reported in several countries, including parts of Asia, Europe and North America. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

After Singapore, Vietnam confirms 2 cases of new coronavirus

Two Chinese nationals in Vietnam have tested positive for the SARS-like coronavirus and are being treated in hospital, officials said Thursday.

A Chinese man living in Ho Chi Minh City was infected by his father who traveled to Vietnam on January 13 from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus. 

The father was hospitalized on January 17 with a high fever, days before his son showed symptoms, health officials said. 

Both were quarantined and tested positive for novel coronavirus, a new infection that has already killed 17 people in China and infected more than 570. 

"The patients have shown signs of good recovery, (their) fever has reduced and they can eat now," Doctor Nguyen Ngoc Sang said Thursday at a meeting at Ho Chi Minh City's Cho Ray hospital. 

Vietnam's deputy health minister urged all precautions to avoid any further spread. 

"We should immediately test any suspected cases so that we can detect (the disease) quicker. We don't want it to spread to the public," Nguyen Truong Son said at the meeting attended by reporters. 

Vietnam shares a long porous border with China and welcomes millions of visitors a year from its northern neighbor. 

Japan, Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore and the United States have all reported confirmed cases of the new virus after it first emerged in China on December 31. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

'End of the world': Wuhan residents react to quarantine

CHINA - Wuhan residents called for help and shared worries of food shortages Thursday, with some on the "verge of tears," after the virus-hit central Chinese city was put on effective lockdown.

Planes and trains out of the city -- the epicenter of a new SARS-like virus -- were cancelled, with public transport suspended and residents ordered not to leave in a bid to control the spread of the disease.

But near-empty trains and planes were still heading into the city of 11 million on Thursday, with hardy passengers donning surgical masks and gloves to brave the journey.

The lockdown comes on the eve of the Lunar New Year holiday, when hundreds of millions of Chinese take to planes, trains and roads to visit relatives in what is the world's biggest annual movement of people.

The search term "Wuhan is sealed off" had been read over a billion times on China's Twitter-like Weibo platform by Thursday afternoon, with some 344,000 discussion posts.

Some residents said they were on the "verge of tears" as they read news of the lockdown.

"We consciously avoid going out, disinfect diligently and wear masks," wrote one user in a social media post.

"But there is a lack of food and disinfectants, and we need more resources. We hope everyone can understand that we are feeling as though it is the end of the world."

The number of confirmed deaths has risen to 17, with more than 570 confirmed infected, officials said.

Few people were seen wandering in the streets, the roads were empty, official events had been canceled and state media said authorities ordered everyone to wear masks in public.

At one hotel, guests were checked for fevers and handed anti-bacterial gel.

The few passengers aboard one train arriving from Shanghai were wearing masks and gloves, but some put on a brave face.

'NOT SCARED'

"Some people had their plans affected, but mine were not. I wanted to go home," said a 28-year-old man surnamed Fang who works in the property industry.

"My family and I are not scared at all," said a Wuhan resident surnamed Zhou boarding a nearly-empty flight back to the city from Beijing with her 8-year-old child.

In the city though, residents were more fearful.

"I have not gone out of the house for around 2 days," a 26-year-old surnamed Mao told AFP.

He said last time he went out, surgical masks were selling for a higher-than-normal price of 50 RMB ($7). After he bought some, the person behind him in the queue bought the remaining stock in the shop.

Some residents online were calling on the government to provide more resources, saying there were not enough masks and food prices were rising.

Many internet users from outside the city expressed sadness and concern for residents, urging them to stay safe, while others questioned why the city was not sealed off sooner.

Some blamed people in Wuhan for eating wild animals.

It is believed that animals are the primary source of the outbreak, and a now-closed seafood market in Wuhan where wild animals were illegally sold has been identified as ground zero.

"Do people enjoy eating wild animals that much?" one social media user asked. "Hasn't the lesson from SARS been enough?"

A video being shared on social media showed a bride in a nearby city wearing a surgical mask, and saying that all the guests who had visited Wuhan for work had been seated at the same table.

All group tours out of Wuhan have been canceled until Feb. 8, while tourist attractions and star-rated hotels have been told to suspend all large-scale activities until that date.

The annual prayer-giving at the city's Guiyuan Temple, a major Lunar New Year event that attracted 700,000 people last year, was scrapped.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Low vaccination rates, global outbreaks fuel US measles spread

A measles outbreak that has stricken at least 225 people in New York state since October began with a traveler who visited Israel during the Jewish high holidays and returned to a predominantly ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighborhood of Rockland County.

A similar pattern unfolded three months later and nearly 3,000 miles (4,800 km) away when a person who visited Eastern Europe returned to a community with strong ties to a local church group in Vancouver, Washington. More than 50 people fell ill there.

In both instances, US travelers picked up measles in foreign countries where the highly contagious disease was running rampant and brought it back to places where vaccination rates were too low by U.S. public health standards, setting off the worst outbreaks seen in those states in decades.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says New York’s outbreak marks the highest tally of imported cases since measles was declared eradicated in the United States in 2000.

The two outbreaks appear to be winding down, health officials say, after concerted efforts to pinpoint the origins and isolate and inoculate those who were exposed but unprotected and educate parents who had resisted vaccines.

The disease has spread mostly among school-age children whose parents declined to get them vaccinated. Most cited philosophical or religious reasons, or concerns - debunked by medical science - that the three-way vaccines against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) could cause autism, authorities said.

New York State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker said another key factor was mere “complacency” in an age where the potential ravages of measles are unfamiliar to parents who came of age after the vaccine was introduced in 1957.

In Rockland County, the suburb north of Manhattan accounting for the bulk of cases, the state has vaccinated 15,000 children since the outbreak began there last autumn, Zucker said. The Brooklyn borough of New York City was another hot spot.

Still, officials say the measles crisis in New York and Washington states offer a lesson about the importance of maintaining a minimum level of “herd” immunization against dangerous, preventable diseases such as measles.

It also highlights the global nature of disease control, in which a hot spot of infection in one country can ignite a distant outbreak in an immunization-weak spot of another, said Dr. Scott Lindquist, Washington’s top epidemiologist.

Here are some key facts about measles and immunization, according to public health experts and the CDC.

WHAT IMMUNIZATION RATES ARE IDEAL?

A 95 percent rate of immunization is required to provide sufficient “herd” protection in a given population. Rates as low as 60 percent were found in parts of New York where measles spread, Zucker said.

HOW BAD CAN MEASLES GET?

Symptoms typically include high fever, cough, runny nose and watery eyes, followed by tiny white spots inside the mouth and a red rash that can cover the body.

Serious and potentially fatal complications, especially in young children and pregnant women, can include pneumonia and swelling of the brain. Ear infections occur in about 10 percent of children with measles and can lead to permanent hearing loss.

One rare but fatal complication is subacute panencephalitis (SSPE), which can attack the central nervous system seven to 10 years after a person has recovered from measles.

HOW CONTAGIOUS IS MEASLES?

Measles is spread through casual contact with the virus, which can linger and remain infectious in the air of an enclosed space for up to two hours after it is breathed out by someone carrying the disease. The rate of transmission from an infected person to another individual nearby who lacks immunity is about 90 percent.

ORIGINS OF LATEST OUTBREAKS?

Health authorities say the strain of the virus identified in Washington state matches the one circulating widely in Ukraine since last year. The New York outbreak has been tracked back to separate flare-ups of measles in Israel and in Eastern Europe.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Poop in hand, Bill Gates backs China's toilet revolution

BEIJING -- As one of the world's richest men and most active philanthropists, Bill Gates usually has his hands full. Just not with poop.

So it came as a surprise when the founder of Microsoft brandished a jar of human waste at a forum on the future of the toilet in Beijing on Tuesday.

The stunt was an effort to draw attention to a problem affecting developing countries around the world: not enough toilets.

"In places without sanitation you have got way more than that," Gates said, pointing to the feces inside the clear canister resting on a table.

"And that's what kids when they are out playing, they are being exposed to all the time, and that's why we connect this not just with quality of life, but with disease and death and with malnutrition," he told attendees.

The billionaire said more than half of the world's population suffers without clean, comfortable sanitation facilities.

"When you think of things that are basic right up there with health and enough to eat, you think that having a reasonable toilet certainly belongs on that list," Gates said.

Gates has previously used shock tactics to draw attention to his disease-battling efforts.

In 2009, he loosed mosquitoes at a Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) Conference in California to make a point about the deadly sting of malaria -- waiting a minute or so before assuring the audience the liberated insects were disease-free.

Gates was in Beijing on Tuesday for the "Reinvented Toilet Expo", a forum hosted by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation showcasing various cutting edge toilet technology in lieu of sewers, making them easier and cheaper to install the devices.

The world's number 2 economy is in the midst of a drive to improve its notoriously malodorous bathrooms, a campaign President Xi Jinping has dubbed the "toilet revolution."

"China has made great progress in improving health and sanitation for millions of people," Gates said.

"China has an opportunity to launch a new category of innovated non-sewered sanitation solutions that will benefit millions of people worldwide."

According to UNICEF, 892 million people worldwide have no choice but to defecate in the open.

India's government says its public health drive has slashed the number of people in the country forced to defecate in the open from 550 million in 2014 to less than 150 million today.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Ilocana graduates summa cum laude in Hawaii university

ILOCOS NORTE—All the way from Waipahu in Hawaii, 21-year-old Reschi Karla Ramo takes a vacation in Barangay Calioet, Libong, Bacarra yearly, where she was born and grew up until her family migrated to the United States in 2011.

Her homecoming this year is filled with more excitement after she brought home a very special "pasalubong" that can’t be compared with anything that came with the balikbayan box.

This is her achievement as she finished college as a summa cum laude at the University of Hawaii-Manoa.

Karla took up Bachelor of Science in Public Health minor in Ilocano Studies and garnered a grade point average of 3.98, which qualified her to become a summa cum laude.

After her graduation last May 13, she immediately flew back home to celebrate her success with her relatives and friends here.

She feels fortunate to be one of the few Filipinos who able to finish a bachelor’s degree in Hawaii, given that Filipinos comprise 25.1% of the population and are the second largest ethnic group in Hawaii.

“I feel really really proud of myself. This makes all the hardwork, sacrifices and sleepless nights for the past 4 years, worth it. I am happy because I am one of the Filipinos who finished a bachelor’s degree," Karla said.

In her younger years, Karla had already proven herself in school, given that she was a consistent 1st honor student since Grade 1 to 3rd year high school which was the last level she finished before leaving for Hawaii.

She admitted that studying abroad wasn’t easy. She experienced accent discrimination but over the time, she learned to handle it and made it as a motivation instead.

“I experienced discrimination especially when I was just new in Hawaii. Even if I know the right answer during recitations, I choose not to raise my hand because I fear that my classmates would make fun of me," Karla said.

"However, I was able to overcome my fear and learned not to mind what other people would think and say about me. Instead, I focused my energy on my studies. I always remind myself of my family - of what they taught me, which is to study hard and just focus on my studies. Education is deeply rooted in my mind and the importance of it is inculcated in my well-being."

Karla is fully decided to enter medical school to fulfill her dream to become a pediatrician and naturopathic doctor at the same time.

While studying, she will continue to work as an Assistant Director to the Early College Program in Waipahu High School in Hawaii to help fellow Filipinos in their education.

“I work as Assistant Director to the Early College Program because I am really passionate about education. And I want my fellow Filipinos because majority of the population in Waipahu high school is Filipinos. And they are underrepresented in higher education. So I want them to have the opportunity to experience college and our goal is to have them graduate with their college diplomas and high school diploma at the same time with no cost at all," Karla said.

She plans to work in the country in the future because she believes it’s important to stay connected with her roots where she started her dreams.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

About 200 Zika cases recorded in Thailand: ministry

BANGKOK - Thailand has recorded about 200 cases of Zika since January, the health ministry said on Tuesday, making it a country with one of the highest numbers of confirmed cases in the region.

It was the first time Thailand's health ministry has confirmed the number of Zika cases this year.

The announcement comes a day after health experts called on Thailand to be more transparent in reporting the Zika threat to the public after health officials played down risks from rising infections of the mosquito-borne virus.

Health officials have expressed concern that disclosing information on Zika, which is linked to serious birth defects, would damage Thailand's lucrative tourism industry.

"Since January, we have recorded about 200 cases and over the past three weeks, we have confirmed an average of 20 new cases per week," Ministry of Public Health spokesman Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai told Reuters.

"The number of cases is stable," he said, without giving further details.

Island city-state Singapore reported its first locally infected Zika patient on Aug. 27 and since then, the number of reported infections has soared to more than 300.

Malaysia and the Philippines have also reported cases.

The virus, which is affecting large parts of Latin America and the Caribbean, has been circulating in Asia for years.

The lineage of the virus circulating in Asia is different to the one in the Americas, researchers say. The level of population immunity to the lineage of Zika in Asia remains unknown, according to the World Health Organization.

Suwannachai urged the public not to panic and reiterated a message aimed at reassuring tourists.

"People shouldn't be scared to visit provinces affected by the Zika virus," Suwannachai said.

Zika infections in pregnant women have been shown to cause microcephaly - a severe birth defect in which the head and brain are undersized - as well as other brain abnormalities.

The connection between Zika and microcephaly first came to light last year in Brazil, which has since confirmed more than 1,800 cases of microcephaly.

Thailand has found no cases of microcephaly linked to Zika and it is monitoring about two dozen pregnant woman and about six who have given birth with no complications, the health ministry said.

In adults, Zika infections have also been linked to a rare neurological syndrome known as Guillain-Barre, as well as other neurological disorders.

The virus was first identified in Uganda in 1947.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Saudi urged to do more vs MERS coronavirus

RIYADH - An international health mission said Monday more measures are needed to combat the spread of MERS in Saudi Arabia, the country worst hit by the coronavirus.

The team of experts said it identified with health authorities in the kingdom the need for "understanding the animal/human interface" including the "modes of infection and transmission."

It also urged "improving disease prevention, especially in health facilities that continue to experience avoidable infections," in a statement issued by the World Health Organisation following the conclusion of the mission to Saudi Arabia.

The mission headed to the desert kingdom after a surge of cases in the past weeks, including 50 reported this month alone as well as infections acquired in health facilities.

A total of 899 people have been infected in the kingdom, of whom 382 have died, since the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) was identified globally in 2012.

The health ministry recorded five deaths on Thursday alone, bringing to 16 the number since February 11.

"When health workers are infected at work, this puts other health-care workers at risk, but also can be a risk to all other patients who seek care for other health conditions," said the statement.

It said that educating professionals and the public about the virus are "urgently needed," highlighting "significant gaps in community engagement to fully understand routes of infection and the preventive steps that should be taken."

More than 20 countries have been affected by MERS but most cases have been linked to the Middle East.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

New York City bans sale of cigarettes to under 21s

NEW YORK CITY - New York City voted Wednesday to ban the sale of cigarettes, e-cigarettes and tobacco to anyone under the age of 21, raising the previous threshold of 18.

New York is the first large city to raise the age limit so high, a resolution that follows years of increasingly stringent laws on tobacco.

The federal age requirement for buying cigarettes is 18, which some states previously raised to 19.

A spokeswoman for New York City council said the proposal was approved by 35 votes to 10.

New York was the pioneer of a ban on smoking in bars, restaurants and public places -- initially criticised -- but since adopted in cities across the West.

Cigarette taxes are also the highest in the US.

Authorities hope that raising the legal age for buying cigarettes will reduce the number of smokers aged 18-20 by 55 percent.

But the move will be unpopular among those who feel that outgoing Mayor Michael Bloomberg has already over-stepped the line between protecting public health and interfering with personal choice.

City hall has said that in 10 years the percentage of adults who smoke has fallen from 21.5 percent in 2002 to 14.8 percent in 2011.

Among young people it has remained unchanged since 2007, at 8.5 percent according to official statistics.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com