niman Posted September 25, 2019 Report Posted September 25, 2019 Potential and probable cases have been coming into the State Public Health Laboratory at an alarming rate– on average of 5-10 per day since it was made a reportable condition just a short time ago. Massachusetts is taking this action now because it is prudent to response quickly, before we have large numbers and deaths. https://www.mass.gov/guides/vaping-public-health-emergency
niman Posted September 25, 2019 Author Report Posted September 25, 2019 Earlier this month, I used my authority as Commissioner of Public Health to declare any suspected cases of vaping-associated pulmonary disease to be immediately reportable to the Department for the next 12 months. During the first two weeks of this mandated reporting, clinicians reported 46 suspected cases. We are receiving up to 10 suspected cases a day. https://docs.house.gov/meetings/IF/IF02/20190925/110008/HHRG-116-IF02-Wstate-BharelMDMPHM-20190925.pdf
niman Posted October 7, 2019 Author Report Posted October 7, 2019 The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) today reported the state’s first death from a vaping-associated lung injury, a woman in her 60s from Hampshire County, to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She was among the 121 suspected cases that have been reported to DPH since September 11 when Massachusetts began mandating that clinicians immediately report any unexplained vaping-associated lung injury to the department. https://www.mass.gov/news/department-of-public-health-reports-first-death-from-vaping-associated-lung-disease-to-us
niman Posted October 7, 2019 Author Report Posted October 7, 2019 Of the 121 suspected reports, 9 cases have been confirmed and 10 are probable for meeting the CDC’s definition of vaping-associated lung injury, nearly double the number of cases DPH reported a week ago to the CDC. At least 39 reports are for patients who have been ruled out as having vaping-associated lung injury. https://www.mass.gov/news/department-of-public-health-reports-first-death-from-vaping-associated-lung-disease-to-us
niman Posted October 7, 2019 Author Report Posted October 7, 2019 BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) today reported the state’s first death from a vaping-associated lung injury, a woman in her 60s from Hampshire County, to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She was among the 121 suspected cases that have been reported to DPH since September 11 when Massachusetts began mandating that clinicians immediately report any unexplained vaping-associated lung injury to the department. Of the 121 suspected reports, 9 cases have been confirmed and 10 are probable for meeting the CDC’s definition of vaping-associated lung injury, nearly double the number of cases DPH reported a week ago to the CDC. At least 39 reports are for patients who have been ruled out as having vaping-associated lung injury. With the number of suspect cases rising statewide and nationally, Governor Charlie Baker announced on September 24th a public health emergency and a four-month statewide ban on sales of all vaping products in Massachusetts. The sales ban applies to all vaping devices and products, including tobacco and marijuana. ``The number of confirmed and probable cases of vaping-associated lung injury we’re seeing continues to escalate and today I was deeply saddened to hear about the death of a patient who had this illness,” said Commissioner Monica Bharel, MD., MPH. ` `We are investigating these cases as quickly as possible and working with our federal partners to better understand this outbreak.” DPH issued a clinical advisory on September 11 asking providers to report any case of a person experiencing otherwise unexplained progressive symptoms of shortness of breath, fatigue, chest pain, cough, or weight loss, of any severity, and an abnormal chest imaging study associated with vaping. The suspected cases are to be reported to DPH via a form and sent to a confidential fax line. As of October 1, a total of 1,080 lung injury cases associated with using e-cigarette or vaping products have been reported to the CDC from 48 states and 1 U.S. territory. Eighteen deaths have been confirmed in 15 states, not including the Massachusetts death reported today. All patients have reported a history of using e-cigarette or vaping products. No single product has been linked to all cases of vaping related lung injury. As a result of Massachusetts’ public health emergency, the Commonwealth implemented a statewide standing order for nicotine replacement products that allows people to access products like gum and patches as a covered benefit through their insurance without requiring an individual prescription, similar to what the Baker Administration did to increase access to naloxone, the opioid antidote. Individuals who are vaping are encouraged to call the Massachusetts Smokers’ Helpline at 1-800-QUIT-NOW or visit makingsmokinghistory.org or Mass.gov/QuitVaping to connect to treatment. Also, Massachusetts recently relaunched two public awareness campaigns, “Different Products, Same Danger” and “The New Look of Nicotine Addiction”, aimed at educating parents and middle and high school-aged youth about the dangers of vaping; the campaigns are appearing on social media channels and billboards statewide. More information on both campaigns is available at getoutraged.org. Materials are also available for download on the Massachusetts Health Promotion Clearinghouse website. DPH’s guidance for local boards of health, health care providers, and retailers can be found on its website at mass.gov/vapingemergency. https://www.mass.gov/news/department-of-public-health-reports-first-death-from-vaping-associated-lung-disease-to-us
niman Posted October 16, 2019 Author Report Posted October 16, 2019 By Chris Van Buskirk and Michael P. Norton | State House News Service October 16, 2019 SHARE Email Facebook Tweet The state health department on Wednesday reported 10 new cases of vaping-associated pulmonary injury and the health commissioner said officials remain unable to pinpoint the exact cause of the outbreak of illnesses. "Just like at the national level there's no one thing," Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel said at a noon press conference. "We all want to find the silver bullet of what is causing this but unfortunately some used just nicotine, many use just THC, many used a combination of both and we just don't have one thing yet that we can point to." The Department of Public Health announced that it has now reported a total of 29 cases - 10 confirmed and 19 probable - to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In those cases, state officials provided the CDC with evidence gathered from patient interviews and medical record reviews. https://www.wgbh.org/news/local-news/2019/10/16/state-reports-10-new-vaping-cases-to-cdc
niman Posted October 23, 2019 Author Report Posted October 23, 2019 Confirmed 16 Probable 30 Statistics Statistics based on above confirmed and probable cases: Gender Number of Confirmed and Probable Cases Percentage** Male 19 41% Female 27 59% Gender Number of Confirmed and Probable Cases Percentage** Age Number of Confirmed and Probable Cases Percentage** Under age 30 21 46% Ages 30-49 14 30% Ages 50+ 11 24% Age Number of Confirmed and Probable Cases Percentage** Did this case result in hospitalization? Number of Confirmed and Probable Cases Percentage** Yes, patient was hospitalized 40 87% No, patient was not hospitalized 6 13% Did this case result in hospitalization? Number of Confirmed and Probable Cases Percentage** Substance reported to have been vaped* Number of Confirmed and Probable Cases Percentage** Nicotine only 11 24% THC only 19 41% Nicotine and THC 12 26% CBD <5*** Unknown <5*** Substance reported to have been vaped* Number of Confirmed and Probable Cases Percentage** * Investigations of confirmed and probable cases are ongoing, so these data are subject to change. ** Due to rounding, in some cases total may not add up to exactly 100 percent. https://www.mass.gov/info-details/vaping-associated-pulmonary-injury-weekly-update-report-october-23-2019#statistics-
niman Posted October 30, 2019 Author Report Posted October 30, 2019 Naomi Martin @NaomiMartin · 1m On WGBH, Baker' admin official says 2nd vaping death in MA was woman in 40s from Middlesex County who reportedly vaped nicotine, and 61 total cases of vaping-related illness in the state so far have met federal reporting criteria
niman Posted October 30, 2019 Author Report Posted October 30, 2019 A second person has now died of vaping-related illness in Massachusetts, according to the Boston Globe. The Globe said Gov. Charlie Baker and Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders announced the death during an interview with WGBH on Wednesday. https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/Report-2nd-Person-in-Mass-Dies-of-Vaping-Related-Illness-564099711.html
niman Posted October 30, 2019 Author Report Posted October 30, 2019 Massachusetts reports 2nd vaping-related death The second resident to die was a woman in her 40s from Middlesex County. WGBH-FM, 10:48 AM BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts health officials say a second state resident has died from a vaping-related lung illness. Marylou Sudders, secretary of Health and Human Services, told WGBH-FM on Wednesday that the second resident was a woman in her 40s from Middlesex County. The state previously said a woman in her 60s from Hampshire County died of a vaping-related illness. No additional information was released. Sudders says both deaths were attributed to the use of nicotine vaping products. She says the state has had 204 suspected cases of vaping-related pulmonary illnesses, 61 of which were reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as confirmed or probable. https://www.boston.com/news/health/2019/10/30/massachusetts-2nd-vaping-death
niman Posted October 30, 2019 Author Report Posted October 30, 2019 PRESS RELEASE Press Release Department of Public Health announces the state’s second death from a vaping-associated lung injury FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 10/30/2019 Department of Public Health BOSTON — A second person has died of a vaping-associated lung injury, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) announced today. The patient, a woman in her 40s from Middlesex County who vaped nicotine, is among more than 200 suspected vaping-associated lung injury patients that have been reported to DPH since September when Massachusetts began requiring clinicians to immediately report any unexplained lung injury in a patient with a history of vaping to the department. Earlier this month, DPH reported the state’s first death from a vaping-associated lung injury, a woman in her 60s from Hampshire County who also vaped nicotine. ``I am deeply saddened to learn about the death of a second patient from this lung injury,’’ said Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel, MD, MPH. ``While we continue to work with our federal partners to investigate the cause of these vaping-associated lung injuries, we cannot at this time attribute a single substance or product to this outbreak of illness.” Governor Baker declared a public health emergency on September 24 and temporarily banned the sale of vaping products and devices, in response to the growing number of cases of severe lung injuries associated with the use of e-cigarettes and cannabis and nicotine vaping products in Massachusetts and nationally. Since the state began mandating the reporting of vaping-associated lung injuries on September 11, DPH has received 204 reports from clinicians of suspected vaping-associated lung injuries. Of those 204 reports, 20 confirmed and 41 probable cases have been reported to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). DPH will report this second confirmed death from a vaping-associated lung injury to the CDC next week. Clinicians are asked to report any individual experiencing otherwise unexplained progressive symptoms of shortness of breath, fatigue, chest pain, cough, or weight loss, of any severity, and an abnormal chest imaging study, who also reports vaping within the 90 days prior to the onset of symptoms. Of the 61 Massachusetts cases that have been reported to the CDC, 27 are male and 34 are female. A majority of the cases– 51 percent – are under the age of 30. Thirty percent of the people vaped only nicotine, 39 percent vaped only tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), an ingredient found in marijuana, while 25 percent reported vaping nicotine and THC. DPH’s new online dashboard provides detailed information on vaping cases that DPH has reported to the CDC and is updated each Wednesday. As a result of the vaping ban, the Commonwealth has implemented a statewide standing order for over-the-counter nicotine replacement products that allow people to access products like gum, lozenges, and patches as a covered benefit through their insurance without requiring an individual prescription. Individuals who are vaping are encouraged to call the Massachusetts Smokers’ Helpline at 1-800-QUIT-NOW or visit makingsmokinghistory.org or Mass.gov/QuitVaping to connect to treatment. https://www.mass.gov/news/department-of-public-health-announces-the-states-second-death-from-a-vaping-associated-lung
niman Posted November 6, 2019 Author Report Posted November 6, 2019 A third person has died of a vaping-associated lung injury, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) announced today. The patient, a man in his 50s from Worcester County, reported vaping both nicotine and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), an ingredient found in marijuana. The patient is among more than 200 suspected vaping-associated lung injury patients that have been reported to DPH since September when Massachusetts clinicians were mandated to report any unexplained lung injury in a patient with a history of vaping to the department. Since the state began mandating the reporting of vaping-associated lung injuries on September 11, DPH has received 220 reports from clinicians of suspected vaping-associated lung injuries, 127 of which meet the criteria for investigation by DPH. Ninety-five investigations have been completed and 21 confirmed and 47 probable cases have been reported to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). DPH will report this third confirmed death from a vaping-associated lung injury to the CDC next week. https://www.mass.gov/news/state-public-health-officials-announce-third-death-from-a-vaping-associated-lung-injury
niman Posted November 14, 2019 Author Report Posted November 14, 2019 Vaping-Associated Pulmonary Injury Weekly Update Report, October 23, 2019 Massachusetts cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Skip table of contents TABLE OF CONTENTS Cases reported Statistics Cases reported Massachusetts cases* that meet the CDC definition of vaping-associated pulmonary injury. Confirmed 16 Probable 30 Statistics Statistics based on above confirmed and probable cases: Gender Number of Confirmed and Probable Cases Percentage** Male 19 41% Female 27 59% Gender Number of Confirmed and Probable Cases Percentage** Age Number of Confirmed and Probable Cases Percentage** Under age 30 21 46% Ages 30-49 14 30% Ages 50+ 11 24% Age Number of Confirmed and Probable Cases Percentage** Did this case result in hospitalization? Number of Confirmed and Probable Cases Percentage** Yes, patient was hospitalized 40 87% No, patient was not hospitalized 6 13% Did this case result in hospitalization? Number of Confirmed and Probable Cases Percentage** Substance reported to have been vaped* Number of Confirmed and Probable Cases Percentage** Nicotine only 11 24% THC only 19 41% Nicotine and THC 12 26% CBD <5*** Unknown <5*** Substance reported to have been vaped* Number of Confirmed and Probable Cases Percentage** * Investigations of confirmed and probable cases are ongoing, so these data are subject to change. ** Due to rounding, in some cases total may not add up to exactly 100 percent. *** Numbers under 5 are suppressed for privacy reasons. https://www.mass.gov/info-details/vaping-associated-pulmonary-injury-weekly-update-report-october-23-2019
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