Health officials report 2nd Mo. vaping-related death

Public health officials on Thursday reported a second Missourian's death has been associated with the use of e-cigarettes or vaping.

According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, the death occurred this week and the deceased Missourian was a woman in her mid-50s.

No specific information about the death was disclosed in the report, which said health officials and medical staff "concluded that vaping was a contributing factor to the female's death who was experiencing a long-standing underlying chronic lung condition."

The state's first vaping-related death was reported by public health officials Sept. 19, when lung samples were used to determine a St. Louis man's death was related to vaping.

State health officials began requiring physicians to report possible vaping-related illnesses to the department in late August, and a total of 35 Missouri cases have found either confirmed or probable associations between lung injury and e-cigarettes.

Information about the outbreak of vaping-related deaths is available on the Center for Disease Control's website with updates every Thursday. As of this week, 42 deaths in 24 states have been confirmed as e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury (EVALI).

Thursday's data showed a total of 2,172 cases of EVALI have been recorded across the country in every state but Alaska. According to data from Oct. 15, 70% of reported cases involved male patients.

"Sadly, we report the tragic impact e-cigarettes have had on another Missourian, and we send our condolences to her family," Missouri DHSS director Dr. Randall Williams stated in the Thursday news release. "As previously stated, we encourage Missourians to follow the CDC guidance to refrain from using e-cigarette products if you are concerned about these specific health risks, especially while the investigation is ongoing."

The Thursday report from public health officials said the lung illnesses are likely associated with a chemical exposure from vaping. The DHSS and the CDC advise anyone who uses vaping products to seek medical care promptly if experiencing any of the following symptoms: cough, shortness of breath or chest pain; nausea, vomiting or diarrhea; fatigue, fever or weight loss; and elevated heart rate.

For more information, visit the DHSS webpage for the lung injury outbreak.