Alaska reports first vaping injury case

By RACHEL D’ORO
Associated Press
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – Alaska health officials are reporting the state’s first confirmed vaping injury case, a teenager who remains hospitalized.
Until the announcement Tuesday, Alaska was the only state without a vaping injury or death from e-cigarettes or THC products.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 2,290 lung-injury cases were reported from 49 states, two U.S. territories and the District of Columbia as of Nov. 20.
Altogether, 47 vaping deaths have been confirmed in 25 states and the District of Columbia.
Alaska state epidemiologist Joe McLaughlin says the teen was admitted on Thanksgiving Day and is recovering. He declines to identify the southeast Alaska teen.
McLaughlin says the teen complained of shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.