Prognosis
U.S. Advises Non-Smokers to Avoid e-Cigarettes Amid Lung Disease Outbreak
- Health officials note 215 possible cases of severe lung damage
- Many patients reported using cannabis, THC-containing products
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U.S. public health officials warned Americans who aren’t already smokers to avoid e-cigarettes and other vaping devices after a mysterious outbreak of a severe lung disease emerged in recent weeks, which has sickened at least 215 people across 25 states and been linked to at least one death.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration are working with state health departments to try to figure out what is causing the damage, which they say has been tied to vaping. In many cases, patients reported using products that included cannabis or THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, before falling ill. The agencies also cautioned against altering commercial devices or consuming home-brew substances.