NEW ORLEANS — Vaping-related lung illnesses are on the rise across the U.S., but in Louisiana, the number has nearly tripled in less than two months.
WWL-TV reported Sept. 5 that nine cases of pulmonary illness in the state have been connected by the Louisiana State Department of Health to vaping.
As of Oct. 18, 48 days later, 25 cases across the state have been linked.
The increase coincides with a jump nationally, as more cases have come out across the country. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 1,500 people in the U.S. have lung injuries associated with e-cigarettes or vaporizers.
At least 33 deaths have been connected to the epidemic across 24 states. No deaths have been reported in Louisiana yet.
The department of health Friday told WWL-TV it would be adding supplementary information to their website showing which people reported vaping before they became ill. Here is that data:
In Louisiana, victims' ages range from 17 to 71.
According to the department of health, the cases were reported across the state, but a spokesman for the department told WWL-TV in an email that they are not releasing any information about where the cases were reported, "as these illnesses are not contagious."
The outbreak appears to have started in March, but Louisiana state officials began tracking it in August.
Symptoms of the respiratory illness associated with vaping include severe shortness of breath, fatigue and chest pain. Most who got sick said they vaped products containing THC, the marijuana component that causes a high.
Overall, about 1-in-10 said they vaped only nicotine.
The CDC urged anybody using e-cigarettes as a way to quit smoking to weigh their health risk and consider FDA-approved nicotine-replacement therapies.