Teen Girl From Visayas Is PH’s First Case Of Vaping Related Lung Injury
VAPING – A 16-year-old teen girl from Central Visayas was the Philippines ‘ first known victim of vaping related lung injuries.
According to the Department of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, the victim was not asthmatic. However, she had been using an e-cigarette for four months since March.
Adding to this, she started smoking traditional cigarettes and vaping until she got hospitalized in Oct. 21. Duque added that prior to her hospitalization, she tried cough medicine though it didn’t help.
Based on an article from Inquirer, the patient was brought to an undisclosed hospital. This was after experienced a sudden difficulty in breathing.
With the symptoms she was presenting, the DOH said that she met the case criteria for “Evali”. This was based on guidelines given by the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Evali is the new name given to individuals with vaping related lung injuries. It is short for e-cigarette or vaping, product use associated with lung injury.
Based on the website of CDC, patients with EVALI had symptoms like coughing, shortness of breath, vomiting, fever, and weight loss. Patients said their patients developed over a few days or several weeks.
The patient from Central Visayas was discharged after six days in the hospital. According to updates, she was well with no indication of recurring symptoms.
With this development, her pulmonologist said that he was in continuous communication with the DOH for updates on her condition.
In lieu of this, Health Undersecretary Eric Domingo made this statement:
All e-cigarette users should seek immediate medical help, and ask their doctors for ways to quit these harmful products. I urge nonusers not to even try e-cigarettes at all
Eric Domingo
Like this article? READ ALSO: Vaping & Electronic Cigarette Related Deaths Spreads In US
