Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Amid Climbing Cases, Deaths Of Vaping-Related Lung Illness, Sen. Wyden Reveals Plan To Tax E-Cigarettes
The Oregonian: Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden Announces Plan To Tax E-Cigarettes
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden on Wednesday said he will introduce legislation next week to tax e-cigarettes amid a multi-state outbreak of severe lung disease, including a recent death under investigation in Oregon of someone who used such vaping devices. Wyden, a ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, made the announcement at Multnomah County’s Health Department, joined by county health Director Patricia Charles-Heathers, county Chairwoman Deborah Kafoury and Commissioner Sharon Meieran. (Bernstein, 9/4)
Chicago Tribune: ‘It’s Going To Attack Your Lungs’: Gurnee Teen Hospitalized For Vaping Has Message For His Peers
Adam Hergenreder started vaping about two years ago at age 16. The mint and mango flavors were his favorites. Now Hergenreder, of Gurnee, is hospitalized and unable to breathe without a steady flow of oxygen through tubes affixed to his nostrils. Doctors have told the 18-year-old that images of his lungs from a chest X-ray look like those of a man in his 70s. His lungs may never be the same again, and vaping is likely to blame. (Thayer, 9/4)
Columbus Dispatch: State Health Officials Confirm 3 Cases Of Severe Pulmonary Illness Following Vaping
The Ohio Department of Health said Wednesday that three reported instances of severe lung illnesses in e-cigarette users are likely the result of vaping, and 11 other cases are being investigated. The department previously said it was investigating six cases and issued an alert Aug. 23, asking health-care providers in the state to report instances of severe pulmonary illnesses in which the cause is unclear and the patient has a history of vaping. (Viviano, 9/4)
Insider: Pennsylvania Teen In Vaping Coma May Need A New Lung If He Survives
Yet another person's life is in danger from a vaping-related lung injury. On Tuesday, the parents of 19-year-old Kevin Boclair told CBS 3 Philly that their son was put in a medically induced coma three weeks ago. They believe the teen's vaping habit caused him irreparable lung damage and put him on life support. (Naftulin, 9/5)
New Orleans Times-Picayune: 9 Cases Of Mysterious 'Vaping Illness' After E-Cigarette Use Reported In Louisiana; See Symptoms
A life-threatening condition known simply as “vaping illness” has appeared across the U.S., with over 200 cases reported this summer. Louisiana has now joined the count: Nine people have reported cases of pulmonary illness after e-cigarette use, the state Department of Health confirmed on Wednesday. (Woodruff, 9/4)
Cincinnati Enquirer: Health Poll: 7 In 10 Young Adults In Cincinnati Area Have Vaped
About 7 in 10 young adults in Southwest Ohio, Northern Kentucky and Southeast Indiana have vaped at least once, a newly released survey shows. Nearly 4 in 10 of these 18- to 29-year-olds or 36% use vape products regularly. (DeMio, 9/4)
And in other news —
MPR: Her Mission: Get East Africans To Stop Smoking
A 2008 study by WellShare International found peer pressure and other social factors drove tobacco use among Somali people in Minnesota. It also found that a lack of medical insurance made it difficult to quit. (Feshir, 9/4)
