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Saskatchewan hospitals to watch for vaping-related illnesses: health minister

Sep 20, 2019 | 10:32 AM

REGINA — The government of Saskatchewan is going to watch for any vaping-related illnesses in the province.

Health Minister Jim Reiter says there’s no record of pulmonary illnesses associated with vaping in Saskatchewan, but he’s asked health officials to monitor all potential cases in hospital intensive care units.

The province’s chief medical health officer has also notified intensive care units that they are to report all cases of non-infectious severe respiratory disease possibly due to vaping to local medical health officers.

Vaping-related illnesses have been reported in Ontario and hundreds of cases — including seven deaths — have been recorded in the United States.

Reiter says he’s worried about how popular vaping is among young people and is asking parents to warn their children about the risks.

The president of the Canadian Medical Association recently said youth vaping has become a public health crisis.

 

The Canadian Press