TUESDAY, Sept. 17, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- A 40-year-old California man is the seventh person to die from a severe respiratory illness brought on by using electronic cigarettes.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, so far, 380 people in 36 states have come down with the vaping-related lung sickness. On Monday, the agency activated an Emergency Operations Center to investigate these illnesses. The latest victim had been sick for several weeks, Karen Haught, M.D., the Tulare County public health officer, said in a press release.
"The Tulare County Public Health Branch would like to warn all residents that any use of e-cigarettes poses a possible risk to the health of the lungs and can potentially cause severe lung injury that may even lead to death," Haught said. "Long-term effects of vaping on health are unknown. Anyone considering vaping should be aware of the serious potential risk associated with vaping."
Her words were echoed by health officials in Oregon, Minnesota, and Kansas. "It is time to stop vaping," Lee Norman, M.D., Secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said in a statement. "If you or a loved one is vaping, please stop. The recent deaths across our country, combined with hundreds of reported lung injury cases continue to intensify."
Tulare County Health & Human Services Agency
Kansas Department of Health and Environment
More Information: CDC
