NEW YORK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th September, 2019) The number of vaping-related deaths in the United States has risen to 12, while another 805 people have experienced lung injuries, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Thursday.
"There have been 805 cases of lung injury reported from 46 states and 1 US territory. Twelve deaths have been confirmed in 10 states," the CDC said in an update on its website. "All reported cases have a history of e-cigarette product use or vaping."
The CDC count includes both confirmed and suspected cases of lung injury caused by e-cigarette products.
In a separate press release, the CDC said it would continue to include both confirmed and suspected cases in its tally, as "the two definitions are very similar, and this is the most accurate way to understand the number of people affected."
The new toll marks a dramatic increase from last week, when the CDC reported just 530 cases of injuries and seven deaths associated with vaping.
Of the lung injuries, nearly three-fourths, or 72 percent, of the victims were male, the CDC said. Two-thirds, or 67 percent, were between 18 and 34 years old.
The CDC said 38 percent of the cases involved people who were 21 or younger, while 17 percent were patients above age 35, and 16 percent concerned those under 18.
Between 2017 and 2018, the United States recorded a 78 percent increase in the number of high-school children using e-cigarettes, and a 48 percent increase in the number of middle-school children using them, four US senators said in a letter circulated to the media on Sept 20.
Under regulations proposed the food and Drug Administration (FDA), also announced on Sept 20, companies planning to market conventional and electronic cigarettes will be required to disclose potential harm of products to be sold in the United States.
