2 more cases of vaping illness in SC this week as number grows to more than 1,000 in US

Another two cases of vaping-related illnesses have been reported in South Carolina since last week, bringing the total number of cases to 12 so far, health officials say.

The severe lung illness has been logged in all regions of the state, according to the state Department of Health and Environmental Control.

And nationally, 1,080 cases of the illness have been recorded, according  the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.

That includes 18 deaths in 15 states.

Most of the patients reported using products containing tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, a psychoactive component of marijuana, according to CDC, which says the latest findings suggest those products play a role in the outbreak.

About seven in 10 of the patients are male and eight in 10 are younger than 35, with 16% younger than 18 and 21% between 18 and 20, CDC reports.

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The South Carolina patients range in age from 17 to 69, but 25% are younger than 18, 37.5% are 18 to 34, and 37.5% are 35 or older, according to DHEC. Most are male.

E-cigarettes are devices that heat a flavored liquid, which usually contains highly-addictive nicotine, resulting in an aerosol that’s inhaled — or vaped — by the user, according to CDC.

Symptoms of the illness include cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, fever and weight loss and typically develop over a few days to several weeks with many requiring hospitalization and sometimes ventilators, CDC reports.

Because little is known about the chemicals in e-cigarettes, health officials advise people to avoid vaping.

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