In Illinois, a man fell ill after using a vape pen and ended up in the hospital. There, his doctors determined that he’d contracted some sort of lung disease. A short time later, he was dead.
The Illinois Department of Public Health announced the man’s death publicly today in a statement. The department warned that it’s seen reports of patients hospitalized with respiratory problems after using e-cigarettes double in the last week alone:
A total of 22 people, ranging in age from 17-38 years, have experienced respiratory illness after using e-cigarettes or vaping. IDPH is working with local health departments to investigate another 12 individuals. Affected individuals have experienced respiratory symptoms including cough, shortness of breath, and fatigue. Some also experienced vomiting and diarrhea. Symptoms worsened over a period of days or weeks before admission to the hospital.
The department’s director, Dr. Ngozi Ezike, added that it had requested assistance from the CDC to help investigate the increase, and that a team had arrived in Illinois this week. “We are working with state and local health departments and FDA to learn the cause or causes of this ongoing outbreak,” a statement from the CDC on Friday confirmed.
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