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Indiana reports fourth vaping related death

Posted at 2:11 PM, Nov 14, 2019
and last updated 2019-11-14 17:09:51-05

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana State Department of Health is reporting a fourth person has died from severe lung injuries caused by e-cigarette use.

Three vaping-related deaths had already been reported in the state, the first one on Sept. 6. Those three were all adults. The health department said the fourth victim was a person between the ages of 50 and 59.

So far in Indiana there have been 57 probable cases of vaping-related lung illness and 55 confirmed cases.

The ISDH says vaping among high school and middle school students has risen more than 350 percent since 2012.

Of the current cases in Indiana, 14 have been teens between the ages of 13 and 17 and 51 have been adults between the ages of 18 and 29.

Most people have reported vaping THC, the ingredient found in marijuana, but other patients have only vaped nicotine.

The health department said symptoms include:

  • Cough, shortness of breath or chest pain
  • Nausea, vomiting or diarrhea
  • Fatigue, fever or abdominal pain

The health department said anyone who has used an e-cigarette in the past 90 days and is experiencing symptoms should stop vaping and visit their doctor.

Click here for a fact sheet on e-cigarettes.

The CDC has also developed a webpage that has resources for the public, healthcare providers and health departments.

As of November 13, 2019, 2,172 cases of e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury have been reported to CDC from 49 states and 42 deaths from the illness have been confirmed in 24 states.