This archive report was first published on 6 September 2019.
Published on September 6, 2019, a severe lung illness linked to vaping has more than doubled to 450 possible cases in 33 states, including three deaths and a possible fourth.
Health officials are scrambling to find a cause, possibly a particular chemical or adulterant contained in some vaping products. The surge in illnesses is a new phenomenon and not merely a recognition of a syndrome that may have been developing for years.
Dr. David C. Christiani of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health wrote in an editorial published in The New England Journal of Medicine that there is clearly an epidemic that begs for an urgent response. He called on doctors to discourage their patients from using e-cigarettes and for a broader effort to increase public awareness about the harmful effects of vaping.
Dr. Dana Meaney-Delman, who is leading the C.D.C.'s investigation into the illness, said that while this investigation is ongoing, people should consider not using e-cigarette products. C.D.C. officials believe that some chemical is involved as the cause but they have not identified a single responsible device, product, or substance.
Dr. Jennifer Layden, chief medical officer and state epidemiologist for the Illinois Department of Public Health, said that the patients were typically healthy, young, with a median age of 19 years and a majority have been men. She added that 98 percent were hospitalized, half required admission to the intensive care unit, and a third required ventilation.
Public health officials have underscored one fundamental point: that the surge in illnesses is a new phenomenon and not merely a recognition of a syndrome that may have been developing for years.
