Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption America's new generation of heroin addicts

The head of the US public health service has called for an end to the "stigma" that makes drug and alcohol addicts less likely to seek treatment.

Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said addiction should be seen as a chronic illness, not a character flaw.

In a report on addiction in the US, he says about 21 million people abuse substances - more than have cancer.

Mr Murthy will remain in post for another two years after Donald Trump takes the presidency in January.

In the report, entitled Facing Addiction in America, Mr Murthy says: "For far too long, too many in our country have viewed addiction as a moral failing."

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption America's heroin trail: The outdoor factory that feeds the US

"This unfortunate stigma has created an added burden of shame that has made people with substance-use disorders less likely to come forward and seek help.

"We must help everyone see that addiction is not a character flaw - it is a chronic illness that we must approach with the same skill and compassion with which we approach heart disease, diabetes, and cancer."

Addiction in the US 21 million people have substance abuse disorders (abusing alcohol or drugs) 6.6% of the entire US population 66 million people admit to binge-drinking in the last month

22.5 million people have used an illegal drug in the past year

12.5 million people admit to abusing prescription medicine

78 people a day die of an opioid overdose

On average, the report says, 78 Americans a day die of an opioid overdose - and about 12.5 million are addicted to prescription painkillers.

In an interview quoted by AP news agency, he said that a "key part" of keeping up progress on addiction services was to "make sure people have insurance coverage".

Image copyright AP Image caption Mr Murthy said the stigma of having an addiction was making people reluctant to seek help

Before becoming surgeon general in 2014, he co-founded a group pushing for affordable health care.

One of Mr Trump's campaign pledges was to abolish the Affordable Care Act, known to many as Obamacare.

But since winning the election he has said he is open to leaving intact key parts of the healthcare bill, including a ban on insurers denying coverage for pre-existing conditions.