TALLAHASSEE, Fla.-- Florida had 13 vaping-related pulmonary illnesses reported last week, bringing the number of cases to 52 as of Saturday, according to data from the Florida Department of Health. While the number of cases continued climbing, the number of vaping-related deaths remained at one.
The counts reflect the number of cases of lung injury that were reported to a Florida disease-surveillance system dubbed Merlin.
A surge in vaping-related illnesses across the country has drawn heavy attention recently. More than 1,000 pulmonary illness cases had been reported as of Oct. 1 to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency has not identified a cause, but it said national and regional findings suggest products containing THC --- the euphoria-causing ingredient in marijuana --- play a role in the outbreak.
About 70 percent of patients nationally have been males, while about 80 percent were under age 35. Sixteen percent of the patients were under 18.
