Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
From Equipment Failures To Jumbled Data: How CDC Disease Detectives Race To Unlock Mysteries Of Vaping Disease
The Washington Post: Searching For A Killer: Inside The CDC’s Scramble To Solve A Mysterious Vaping Disease
Scientists were ecstatic. The test results were in. For the first time, the lab team at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had direct evidence that a chemical compound, vitamin E acetate, was a likely culprit in the disease that has sickened nearly 2,300 people and killed 47. Officials set a date to share the news. But as the lab team raced to test a last batch of lung fluid samples, the tool needed for the chemical analysis suddenly crashed. Scientists feared their precious samples would be destroyed. (Sun, 11/25)
In other vaping news —
Kaiser Health News: The Complex Realm Of Cloud Chasers, Coil Builders And Other Vape Moders
A Juul pod is not an e-cigarette is not a vape pen is not a mod. Ask any serious vaper, but then, what kind of vaper to ask? There are the nicotine casuals and those drawn to THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. There are the hobbyists with all their sub-genres: do-it-yourselfers, cloud chasers, sub-ohmers, coil builders and other device modifiers, called moders, not to mention vape lifestyle models and social media influencers. (Giles, 11/26)
