As we take a final look at the vaping epidemic in the United States, there are steps to take to help understand this problem further.
CDC, FDA, state and local health departments, and other clinical and public health partners are still investigating this multistate outbreak of severe pulmonary disease associated with e-cigarette product use.
Administrative Director of the Dubois County Health Department Jo Ann Spaulding says that even though a common concern is that these cases may be linked to illegal THC use with the e-cigarettes, not all cases have linked to THC.
State health departments are working with the FDA to enable the collection of e-cigarette product specimens for testing at the U.S. FDA Forensic Chemistry Center.
The Dubois County Health Department say that there have not been any local reports of illnesses, however, if there are some that are worried about coming forward, there is an anonymous self-reporting link on the FDA website.
Spaulding says that when it comes to finding the right kind of information, it will just take time.
Again, until a definitive cause is known, it is recommended to take caution when using e-cigarettes. The Dubois County Health Department is recommending that people stop using e-cigarettes until a more definitive cause of these illnesses comes to light.
