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Answers in deadly vaping-related lung illnesses still months away

The ongoing investigation “may take a few months” and could yield “multiple causes and potentially more than one root cause,” Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said during a briefing with reporters on Friday, according to CNN News.

“So I do think that the phenomenon we’re seeing is going to have an explanation, but it may not be tomorrow,” she said. “It may take a few months to really understand the portion of illness that’s due to some new risky practice in the preparation of these materials or other causes.”

The CDC published its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) with updated guidance for clinicians on Friday. The report’s authors have given the mysterious vaping-associated illness a name: “e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury,” or EVALI.

As of October 8, 2019, 49 states, the District of Columbia, and one territorial health department have reported 1,299 cases of EVALI to CDC, with 26 deaths reported from 21 states

Hospital re admissions
Dr. Schuchat said on Friday some patients are being hospitalized for a second time, a disturbing new development in the ongoing national outbreak, reports CBC Canada. “We are aware of a handful of patients who have been readmitted for clinical care after discharge for lung injury.”

Dr. Schuchat said physicians have been advised to discourage their patients from resuming smoking or using vaping products when they are hospitalized and after discharge. They should also keep in mind that recurrence or worsening of the lung injury is possible.

Hospital re admissions have taken place as quickly as five days and up to 55 days after discharge, Dr. Schuchat said, reports the UK’s Independent. She said it is not known what triggered the relapses, but in some cases, patients had resumed vaping. Another possibility is that the initial illness has made the respiratory system more susceptible to other illnesses.

Another possibility, she said, is treatment with steroids, which many clinicians have been using to care for such injuries, may “set you up for increased infection risk.”

Flu season and vaping-related illnesses
With the start of the flu season, the CDC is also stressing the importance for health-care providers to ask patients about their use of e-cigarette or vaping products “in a nonjudgmental way.”

Dr. Ram Koppaka, a medical officer with the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, recommended that clinicians maintain a “high index of suspicion” for influenza and other related respiratory diseases. Many respiratory illnesses have similar symptoms to EVALI, says the CDC.

Similar symptoms include cough, shortness of breath and difficulty breathing. In the vaping-related cases, nearly 80 percent also have gastrointestinal symptoms, including abdominal pain, nausea, and diarrhea, officials said.

The bottom line? “It is unknown if patients with a history of EVALI are at higher risk for severe complications of influenza or other respiratory viral infections if they are infected simultaneously or after recovering from lung injury.”{ says the CDC.

Canada’s health warning
“We cannot stand by and watch a new generation of Canadians become dependent on nicotine or be exposed to products that could have significant negative consequences for their health,” the Council of Chief Medical Officers of Health said in a statement.

“In Canada, we have seen the first cases of pulmonary illness related to vaping and a number of other incidents are under investigation. Together with colleagues in the United States, we are all doing our part to find out what is causing these illnesses. Until more is known, we repeat our call for Canadians to consider refraining from vaping.”

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We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our dear friend Karen Graham, who served as Editor-at-Large at Digital Journal. She was 78 years old. Karen's view of what is happening in our world was colored by her love of history and how the past influences events taking place today. Her belief in humankind's part in the care of the planet and our environment has led her to focus on the need for action in dealing with climate change. It was said by Geoffrey C. Ward, "Journalism is merely history's first draft." Everyone who writes about what is happening today is indeed, writing a small part of our history.

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