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Credit: TBEC Review [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)]
Schools take steps to confront illnesses tied to vaping amid fatalities
Naaz Modan
Sept. 9, 2019
Dive Brief:
Multiple states are reporting severe respiratory illnesses and
fatalities linked with THC vaping products, according to press
releases. On Friday, the Indiana State Health Department confirmed in a
press conference the first vaping-related death in the state, joining
at least three other states that have reported fatalities, including
Minnesota, Illinois and Oregon.
The state is currently investigating 30 cases and has confirmed 8 of
them as vaping-related. According to the CDC, 450 cases have been
reported in 33 states.
Public health officials have warned that they are “seeing cases
increase across the country” and say they have a “significant amount of
confidence” that the reported cases are vaping-related. Officials say
they are “actively investigating” the situation.
Dive Insight:
As vaping becomes increasingly popular among high-schoolers, so does
concern about its health consequences. Originally introduced into the
market as a harm-reduction alternative for adults addicted to nicotine,
vaping has taken off as a common practice among teens, who are more
likely to progress to using combustible cigarettes within a year of
use.
According to Elizabeth D’Amico, a behavioral scientist and researcher
at RAND Corporation, teens who use vaping products are not “just
experimenting” and are actually more prone to becoming long-term users.
About half of teens who use e-cigarettes continue to use one year
later, and about 40% are found still using after two years.
D’Amico suggests schools adopt both preventative and interventionist
approaches, including after-school programs and in-school instructional
material that informs students on the consequences of vaping.
Both experts and school administrators agree strictly disciplinary
measures, like afterschool detention and zero-tolerance policies, are
ineffective without the right programs and curriculum material in
place.
Schools can partner with local health organizations and state
departments to allocate the funding and resources necessary for these
programs. Some high schools, including in Illinois where a district
recently sued Juul Labs for marketing to teenagers, conduct
presentations for students and parents and are even partnering with
middle schools to begin prevention efforts in their districts early.
The National Association of School Nurses (NASN) suggests hiring school
nurses who can identify e-cigarette use early, support prevention
education and provide a referral for treatment if necessary.
"School nurses assess for health conditions and make a referral to
healthcare providers based on the severity of symptoms," NASN President
Laurie Combe says. "So referral may include a visit with [a student's]
primary health care provider or may require access to emergency
services."
If a student is exhibiting respiratory or gastrointestinal symptoms —
including trouble breathing, coughing, nausea and vomiting — Combe says
Emergency Medical Services (EMS) should be contacted immediately.
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