"Stopping smoking is a very simple way" of cutting TB rates, he said, adding that quitting also meant the region's poor, who are most affected by the disease, could use the money that previously went on tobacco for food and clothing.

"These benefits are substantial, they are seen quickly and impact on the most important health risks in this region... and the especially complex issue of economic deprivation and nutrition," he added.

Many at the conference expressed concern about the increases in smoking and tobacco use in Asia, as big tobacco firms look to the region for new markets with more people giving up smoking in developed countries.

Health professionals want anti-smoking legislation, including bans on tobacco advertising, tightened up.

Some 1.25 billion people worldwide use tobacco in some form every day. China and India account for more than half of that total, according to the American Cancer Society and World Lung Foundation statistics presented at the conference.

Editor:Yang Jie