Britain’s Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health has called for an outright ban on disposable vapes after findings that 40 children were hospitalised for vaping disorders last year, and with the NHS warning that the country risked “sleep-walking into a crisis”.
Amanda Pritchard, NHS England boss, said the figures were up from just 11 hospital admissions the previous year, and supported the paediatricians’ call for action, The Independent reports.
NHS data revealed one in five 15-year-olds admitted to using e-cigarettes in 2021, while charity Action on Smoking (ASH) reported the experimental use of e-cigarettes among 11 to 17-year-olds had risen by 50%, compared with last year.
Last week two schools in Hampshire sent out a warning to pupils after a “small number” of students were hospitalised after vaping.
A letter to parents said some students were admitted for treatment after experiencing high heart rates, confusion and, in one extreme case, a seizure.
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