The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released a new warning about using vapes, as the number of people falling victim to a rare vaping-related illness continues to rise.
In 15 states where there have been reported cases, 18 people died, and the case count has reached 1,080. Authorities continue to investigate deaths related to the vaping illness. They are focusing their investigation on patients who have a history of vaping. The majority of the people who have been reported used vaping juice containing THC compound.
Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the CDC, expressed the agency's concern on the products that are used for vaping. They have intensified their warning on vaping, considering the increasing number of deaths related to it.
The agency has issued a warning on the use of all types of vaping products, particularly e-juices that contain THC. It has been particularly impossible to know what is contained in an e-cigarette or the e-juices. People are buying vaping products based on several of factors, but mostly because it is their preference. However, this type of decision making limits their knowledge on the product they are getting.
The investigation that the CDC conducted has led them to find out that THC-containing products can still be bought off the street or through social media. The CDC expressed their concern in the availability of these vaping products in the market. "As long as these products are in the market, people will have access to them," Schuchat said.
The total number of patients who have been admitted due to the vaping-related illness has increased by 275 cases more than last week. The huge leap accounts the number of patients who have been reported sick before the widespread awareness, which is now considered an epidemic.
CDC said they are still receiving reports of cases related to vaping. And among these new patients, half have been admitted to the hospital complaining of difficulty in breathing. Schuchat emphasized the intense level of concern the agency has on this outbreak. "The data that we have collected shows that this health concern has yet to arrive at its peak.," she said.
Though it remains unclear which ingredient is genuinely causing the outbreak, investigators have named the Vitamin E acetate as a possible culprit. The agency is currently working on the analysis of the sample products that the patients used before they got sick. So far, there has been no compound or product that is common to all the reported cases. Schuchat said that people should take caution in buying products from street sellers, but she also emphasized that there is no certainty that those sold in stores are safe either.
"We are saying that it is difficult for a consumer to tell which products are safe and which are not. It is best not to make any purchases of vaping related products, until all has been cleared," she said.
