Although Blacks usually smoke fewer cigarettes and start smoking cigarettes at an older age, they are more likely to die from smoking-related diseases than whites. In fact, state health officials reported most recently that an Illinois resident who was hospitalized after suffering severe respiratory illness related to vaping has died.
In addition, the number of reported cases of people who have used e-cigarettes or vaped and have been hospitalized with respiratory symptoms has doubled in Illinois this past week, state health officials said in a release. Details were not available on the first person who died. But we do know that at least 33 people have died country-wide and 1,479 have fallen ill from a vaping-related lung disease.
“Yesterday we received a report of a death of an adult who had been hospitalized with severe unexplained respiratory illness after reported vaping or e-cigarette use,” Dr. Jennifer Layden, chief medical officer for the Illinois Department of Public Health, said during a media briefing Friday afternoon with federal health officials.
“Illinois is working with the CDC, FDA, our local health departments and other state health departments to investigate products and devices that individuals have reportedly used,” Layden said.
A total of 22 people in Illinois, ranging in age from