On September 12, 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the updated number of confirmed and probable cases of lung disease associated with e-cigarette product use, or vaping. The new case count is the first national aggregate based on the new CDC case definition developed and shared with states in late August.
As of September 11, 2019, 380 confirmed and probable cases of lung disease associated with e-cigarette product use, or vaping, were reported by 36 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The federal agency defines a confirmed case as someone who recently used an e-cigarette product, developed a breathing illness, and for whom testing did not show an infection. Other common causes of illness have been ruled out as the primary cause. A probable case is defined as someone who recently used an e-cigarette product, developed a breathing illness, and for whom some tests have been performed to rule out infection. Other common causes of illness have been ruled out as the primary cause. Six total deaths have been confirmed in six states: California, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, and Oregon.
The CDC is currently coordinating a multistate investigation. In conjunction with a task force from the Council for State and Territorial Epidemiologists and affected states, interim outbreak surveillance case definitions, data-collection tools, and a database to collect relevant patient data have been developed and released to states.
The CDC also continues to work closely with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to collect information about recent e-cigarette product use among patients and to test the substances or chemicals within e-cigarette products used by case patients.
To communicate with the CDC about this public health response, contact LungDiseaseOutbreak@cdc.gov. ■
