STAFF REPORT
Kansas now has confirmed two deaths related to vaping.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment is working to prevent further associated health issues, Gov. Laura Kelly said in a statement.
“We are coordinating a response to combat this epidemic, so that families can avoid such tragic outcomes,” she said.
Kansas Health Secretary Dr. Lee Norman will testify before Congress on the concerns about e-cigarettes and offer his testimony to the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee on Wednesday.
“E-cigarettes are unregulated, which means that we don’t know what’s in them,” Norman said in a statement. “Of great concern to me is that in the midst of all these illnesses being reported, the amount of young people using them is significant.”
Both deaths related to vaping in Kansas were residents over the age of 50 who also had underlying health conditions.
The two deaths are included in the current total of nine medical incidents related to vaping in Kansas, all cases resulting in hospitalization.
The national total of vaping-related illnesses is 530, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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