Officials say teen had 'chronic underlying medical condition,' but condition has not been identified
FRIDAY, Jan. 10, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- A 15-year-old Texas teen who died from vaping is the youngest victim so far in an outbreak of vaping-related deaths in the United States.
The teen's death was announced by Dallas County Health and Human Services, the The New York Times reported. In a statement on Dec. 31, Texas officials said the teen had "a chronic underlying medical condition" but did not identify the condition, the patient's gender, or what products the teens had been vaping.
"Reporting a death in a teen due to EVALI (e-cigarette or vaping-associated lung injury) is so tragic," Philip Huang, M.D., the Dallas County health director, said in a statement. "We are seeing that severe lung damage, and even death, can occur with just short-term use of these products."
As of Tuesday, there had been 2,602 cases of the illness and 57 deaths in the United States. Those who have died have been between ages 15 and 75 years, with a median age of 51, The Times reported. The outbreak appears to be slowing, but states are still reporting new cases every week, and more deaths are under investigation, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The New York Times Article
More Information: CDC