CDC's Latest Vaping Update: More Than Two Dozen Deaths, 1,200 Cases

The Centers for Disease Control has published its most recent update on the vaping lung injury outbreak, reporting that the number of probable and confirmed cases have increased to 1,200. In addition, the agency says it has confirmed 26 deaths in 21 states that directly resulted from this outbreak. The common factor between all these cases is the use of vaping products.

The CDC has been updating the public on a regular basis about the ongoing outbreak of a vaping-related lung disease impacting people around the US. The agency says officials still haven't found the cause of the cases, but they're all believed to be the result of nicotine and THC vaping products, the latter of which have been heavily implicated.

As of October 8, the outbreak had claimed 26 lives and impacted around 1,200 people across 49 states. At this point in time, the CDC says experts at the state and federal level have found evidence that THC-based vapes may 'play a role' in this outbreak, though some cases involved people who only reported using nicotine.

A report published by the Mayo Clinic earlier this month found that inhaling toxic chemical fumes may be the cause of these cases. The source of those chemicals is unclear — they could be a contaminant in a particular ingredient or something added to the products by a secondary source.

Symptoms in these cases include fever, nausea, diarrhea, and trouble breathing; health experts have described them as something that gets progressively worse over a number of days or weeks. The CDC and FDA are both encouraging the public to stop using vaping products, particularly ones that are modified or homemade.