The first case of a vaping-related illness has been recorded in British Columbia.
The announcement came on Wednesday afternoon from Dr. Bonnie Henry, BC’s Provincial Health Officer.
The Ministry of Health says in an emailed statement that “there are several other investigations underway” that could also meet the case definition of a probable or confirmed vaping-related illness.
“These are the first cases of vaping-related illness in BC, but we fully expect there will be more as this is quickly emerging as a significant public health issue,” says Henry, in a statement.
“Vaping is turning back the clock on decades of effective anti-smoking efforts and creating a new generation of young people addicted to nicotine.”
The statement does not expand on the age of the patients involved in the investigations.
Last September, Henry issued a notice that required physicians to report incidents of patients exhibiting symptoms that meet the case definition of a vaping-related illness.
The national case definition includes patients who report vaping using e-cigarette devices or other similar products in the last 90 days and have pulmonary infiltrates or illnesses not attributed to other causes.
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