Ke hoʻopaʻa nei ka ʻāina ʻo ʻApelika i ka piʻi nui o ka ʻai paka. Hōʻike nā kiʻi he 21% o nā kāne a me 3% o nā wahine e hoʻohana i ka paka ma ʻApelika. Ua hāʻawi ʻia ka ʻike ma Algiers, i ka wā o kahi hālāwai o ka World Health Organization (WHO) i hui pū ʻia mai ka Pōʻakahi, ʻOkakopa 10, i nā ʻāina ʻApelika i ka pōʻaiapili o ka mālama paka.
ʻOi aku ka nui o nā kānaka i make i ka paka ma mua o ka waiʻona, AIDS, e like me ka noiʻi ʻana i kēia hanana. He mau tausani hou aʻe ka poʻe i make i nā kumu pili i ka paka e like me ka ʻike ʻana i ka uahi paka ma ke ʻano kaiapuni (i kapa ʻia ʻo passive smoke). ʻO ka pahuhopu o kēia hālāwai WHO ʻo ia ka ʻimi ʻana i kahi kūlana maʻamau no nā ʻāina o ka ʻāina ma mua o ka hui honua ma New Delhi e mālama ʻia i ka mahina mua o Nowemapa.
Ua hoʻopaʻa ʻo ʻApelika i nā helu kiʻekiʻe o ka hoʻonui ʻana i ka ʻai paka; ʻoi aku ma waena o ka poʻe ʻōpio a, ma waena o nā kaikamahine. 30% o ka poʻe ʻōpio ʻike ʻia i ka uahi paka ma ka home a 50% ma nā wahi lehulehu a i ʻole ma ka hana. ʻO kēia mau helu mai Kauka Nivo Ramanandraibe o ke keʻena ʻo WHO Africa.
Eia kekahi, e like me kekahi mau luna o WHO, he mea paʻakikī ke hoʻomaopopo i ka poʻe ʻōpio. No ka mea, ma nā ʻāina he nui i ulu a hoʻomāinoino ʻia ka paka, ʻoi aku ka poʻe ʻelemakule.
No laila, ʻo ka paʻakikī ka hoʻomaopopo ʻana i nā kānaka kūloko a me nā kūlanakauhale nui he mea weliweli loa ka paka.
Eia naʻe, i mua o kēia piʻi ʻana o ka ʻai paka, ua hoʻololi nā ʻāina he nui o ʻApelika i kā lākou kānāwai. Akā, ʻoi aku ka nui o ka paʻakikī ma mua o ka hoʻololi ʻana i nā kānāwai. Pono e ʻōlelo ʻia, ʻoiai ʻo ka mālama ʻana i nā papahana WHO, nui nā ʻāina ma ka ʻāina i hoʻohālikelike ʻia, no ka maikaʻi, pono ka mālama ʻana i ka paka i nā kumuwaiwai kanaka a me ke kālā.
