VA's First Vaping Death Confirmed, E-Cig Users Urged To Quit

RICHMOND, VA — E-cigarette users are being urged to stop using the devices, or at the very least not buy products off the street, after the Virginia Department of Health confirmed that a Virginia resident died from a severe lung injury linked to e-cigarette use or “vaping.” The death was reported Sept. 26 by Cone Health in Greensboro, North Carolina.

“I am deeply saddened to announce the first death of a Virginia resident related to this outbreak. Our thoughts are with the family during this difficult time,” said State Health Commissioner Dr. M. Norman Oliver, in a news release.

The victim was an adult from the southwest region of Virginia; authorities will not release more details on the patient.

State officials have confirmed 31 lung injury cases, including the fatality, in Virginia as of Sept. 30. Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports 805 cases from 46 states and one U.S. territory, as of Sept. 24. Twelve other deaths have been confirmed in 10 states.

Health experts are trying to determine the cause of the lung disease outbreak and urge people to stop using e-cigarette products.

Signs of the severe lung illness associated with vaping include shortness of breath, fatigue, vomiting and diarrhea.

Patients report using e-cigarettes or vaping in the weeks or months before they became ill. Symptoms of vaping-associated respiratory illness include gradual onset of cough, shortness of breath, or fatigue that worsened over a period of days or weeks before admission to the hospital.

Some patients have also reported mild to moderate gastrointestinal illness including vomiting, diarrhea and fatigue, state health officials said. The patients do not have clinical indications of infection and did not improve with antibiotics. Several of the reported cases have responded positively to steroid therapies.

Many vaping products have been found to contain substances that can be toxic when inhaled and might not be listed on product packaging. E-cigarette users should not buy products off the street and should not modify their e-cigarette products or add any substances that are not intended by the manufacturer, officials said.

The CDC has issued an advisory on e-cigarettes:

What are e-cigarettes?

• E-cigarettes are electronic devices that heat a liquid and produce an aerosol, or mix of small particles in the air.
• Some e-cigarettes look like regular cigarettes, cigars, or pipes. Some look like USB flash drives, pens, and other everyday items.
• The liquid used in e-cigarettes often contains nicotine and flavorings. This liquid is sometimes called "e-juice," "e-liquid," "vape juice," or "vape liquid."
• Users inhale e-cigarette aerosol into their lungs. Bystanders can also breathe in this aerosol when the user exhales it into the air.
• E-cigarette devices can be used to deliver marijuana and other drugs.

The state encourages medical providers caring for patients with unexplained serious respiratory illness to ask about a history of recent e-cigarette use or vaping, and to report suspected cases to their local health department.

Users of e-cigarette products who develop a cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, or fever should seek medical attention or call a poison control center at 1-800-222-1222.

For more information on “vaping” and lung illness in Virginia, visit www.vdh.virginia.gov/vaping.

For free help to stop using these devices or any tobacco product, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW.