Vaping-related lung injuries rise to 1,604 cases nationwide, CDC says
As of Tuesday, there were 1,604 lung injury cases associated with e-cigarette products in 49 states, the District of Columbia and the US Virgin Islands, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Alaska is the only state without a reported case.
That’s an increase from last week, when there were 1,479 cases of vaping-related lung injuries.
The CDC on Thursday also identified 34 vaping-related deaths in 24 states: three each from California, Indiana and Minnesota; two each from Georgia, Illinois, Kansas and Oregon; and one each from Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Virginia.
The patients who died ranged in age from 17 to 75.
The District of Columbia Department of Health on Thursday confirmed the district’s first vaping-related death, bringing the US total to 35.
Several agencies, including the CDC, US Food and Drug Administration, state and local health departments, and other clinical and public health partners, are continuing to investigate the multistage outbreak. The specific chemical exposure causing these lung injuries remains unknown.
The CDC has reported that all patients in the outbreak had a history of using e-cigarette products, and most have reported a history of using products containing tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, the primary psychoactive component of cannabis.
