Health officials are reporting what could be America’s first death linked to vaping, writes Associated Press in The Guardian. There are also reports of nearly 200 people across the United States suffering respiratory illnesses after vaping.
Officials said on 23 August that an adult patient in Illinois, who contracted a serious lung disease after vaping, had died and that they considered it the first death in the US linked to e-cigarettes.
The Illinois Department of Public Health received the report of the death on 22 August, said the chief medical officer, Dr Jennifer Layden.
Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 193 people in 22 states had contracted severe respiratory illnesses after vaping. However, they said a clear common cause of the illnesses had not been identified and that they were being called “potential cases” that were still under investigation.
Ileana Arias, a CDC official, said: “Investigators haven’t identified any specific product or compound that is linked to all of the cases.” She added that the patients might be dealing with different illnesses that had similar symptoms.
All of the illnesses had occurred in teens or adults who had used an e-cigarette or other kind of vaping device. Doctors said the illnesses resembled an inhalation injury, with the lungs apparently reacting to a caustic substance. So far, infectious diseases have been ruled out.
The illnesses had been reported since late June, but the total count rose quickly in the last week. That may be partly because cases that weren’t initially being linked to vaping had begun to be grouped that way.
Full report on The Guardian site.
[link url="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/aug/24/patient-death-illinois-could-be-first-in-us-linked-to-vaping-officials-say"]Patient's death could be first in US linked to vaping, officials say[/link]
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention media statement on 21 August 2019
[link url="https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2019/s0821-cdc-fda-states-e-cigarettes.html"]CDC, FDA, states continue to investigate severe pulmonary disease among people who use e-cigarettes[/link]
First death related to vaping recorded in the US
Illinois health officials have announced that a patient who contracted a serious lung disease after vaping has died, which could make it the first death in the US linked to the smoking alternative that has become popular with teens and young adults, says a PBS report.
The Illinois Public Health Department said that the patient, who was between 17 and 38 years old, had been hospitalised after falling ill following vaping, though it didn’t give other information about the person, including the patient’s name, hometown or date of death.
The report says the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention had previously issued a news release in which it said 149 people nationwide had contracted a severe respiratory illness after vaping, but that there hadn’t been any deaths reported as of then. CDC officials didn’t immediately reply to requests seeking comment.
The Illinois agency said in its release that the number of people who contracted a respiratory illness after vaping had doubled in the past week, to 22. “The severity of illness people are experiencing is alarming and we must get the word out that using e-cigarettes and vaping can be dangerous,” IDPH director Dr Ngozi Ezike said. “We requested a team from the CDC to help us investigate these cases and they arrived in Illinois on Tuesday.”
All of the illnesses reported by the CDC were in teens or adults who had used an electronic cigarette or some other kind of vaping device. Doctors say the illnesses resemble an inhalation injury, with the lungs apparently reacting to a caustic substance. So far, infectious diseases have been ruled out.
Health officials around the country have been reporting patients getting sick after vaping, two in Connecticut, four in Iowa and six in Ohio. They are asking doctors and hospitals to tell state health officials about any possible vaping-related lung disease cases they encounter.
[link url="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/illinois-patients-death-may-be-first-in-u-s-linked-to-vaping"]PBS report[/link]