(Salt Lake City, UT) – The Utah Department of Health (UDOH) today confirmed a Salt Lake County resident has died from a vaping-related lung injury. The individual was under the age of 30 and died at home without being hospitalized prior to their death. The UDOH Office of the Medical Examiner made the final determination as to the cause of death. Public health officials investigating the death have determined the individual vaped THC prior to their death. In order to protect the identity of the deceased resident, no further information will be released.
“This death is a sad reminder of the severity of these unexplained illnesses,” said Dr. Angela Dunn, UDOH state epidemiologist. “Based on what we know about this outbreak and what may be contributing to it, our best advice to the public is to stop vaping products that contain THC.”
As of this week, the UDOH has reported 76 cases of vaping-related lung injuries, with another 14 potential cases currently under investigation. More than 90 percent of these cases were hospitalized, and many of them required treatment in intensive care units. Ninety-four percent of Utah cases self-reported vaping THC products.
For more information on the vaping-related lung injury outbreak visit https://health.utah.gov/lung-disease-investigation.
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