Vaping Illnesses, Death Prompt Marin County Health Alert

MARIN COUNTY, CA — Health officials in Marin County advised residents to stop vaping until more is known about the cases of lung injury being reported across the United States.

The county's Health and Human Services issued a public health alert asking local health care providers to be watchful for unexplained respiratory illnesses.

"Until we know what's causing this, the only way to be sure we're protected is to avoid using e-cigarettes. It's just not safe to vape," Marin County Public Health Officer Dr. Matt Willis said in a statement.

There have been 57 severe respiratory illness cases related to vaping recently reported in California, with the first death in the state reported Friday in Los Angeles. No cases have been reported in Marin County.

"It's never been healthy to vape," Willis said. "But now we're concerned it could land someone in the hospital."

Nationally, there have been 450 cases reported in 33 states since July, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most cases have involved products containing cannabis, and many of the cases are among teenagers or young people.

"It's especially scary that this is hitting healthy young people, since we've seen such an increase in vaping among Marin youth," said Jasmine Gerraty, who leads youth outreach with the Marin County Tobacco Control Program.

Nearly one-in-three 11th graders in Marin reported using e-cigarettes on a regular basis, more than double the number two years ago, according to the county.

Bay City News Service contributed to this report.