Seattle and King County Public Health says a teenager has received medical treatment for Washington’s first reported case of severe lung disease linked to vaping.
County health officials said Wednesday the teen was hospitalized in August with a fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Officials said he was treated in the intensive care unit, released from the hospital five days later, and is now recovering. The patient reported using e-cigarette products over the past three years.
Officials said the teenager reported vaping nicotine with propylene glycol as well as saffron, but they don’t yet know where the products were obtained or if other substances were also used.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there have been roughly 450 cases of the lung disease nationally – including cases in Idaho, Montana, and Oregon – and a half dozen people with the illness have died. (AP)
