TO
TO STAY
TO STAY SAFE. >> MAJOR HOSPITAL NETWORKS HERE
IN THE VALLEY HAVE ISSUED VAPING
ALERTS, URGING PEOPLE WHO VAPE
NICOTINE OR MARIJUANA TO CUT
BACK OR STOP ENTIRELY.
380 CONFIRMED OR PROBABLE CASES
OF LUNG DISEASE NATIONWIDE THAT
ARE CONNECTED TO VAPING.
SIX DEATHS HAVE BEEN REPORTED IN
SIX STATES.
SIX STATES. NONE OF THEM HERE IN ARIZONA.
DR. CRIS, DIRECTOR OF ARIZONA
HEALTH SERVES, IS COORDINATING
HOW THE STATE IS TRACKING VAPING
RELATED ILLNESSES.
RELATED ILLNESSES. WELCOME BACK TO SQUARE-OFF.
THESE WERE FIRST NOTICED ABOUT
TWO MONTHS AGO.
THE HOSPITAL NETWORKS ISSUED A
VAPING ALERT.
VAPING ALERT. WHY HASN'T THE STATE ISSUED A
VAPING ALERT?
VAPING ALERT? >> WE'VE ISSUED AN ALERT TO
HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS ASKING THEM
TO REPORT ANY CASES THAT THEY
FEEL HAVE SEVERE PULMONARY
DISEASE THAT IS ASSOCIATED WITH
VAPING.
VAPING.
VAPING. SO WE'RE STARTING TO INVESTIGATE
THOSE CASES.
THOSE CASES. >> WE'RE STARTING TO INVESTIGATE
THOSE CASES NOW.
>> YES.
>> YES.
>> YES. SO AFTER WE HEARD THE INITIAL
CASES IN MINNESOTA AND THEN
OTHERS STARTED POPPING UP AROUND
THE NATION, THE CDC HAS BEEN
COORDINATING WITH ALL STATES TO
SET UP A SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM
LOOKING FOR THESE CASES.
>> GIVEN THAT VAPING IS AT
EPIDEMIC LEVELS AT OUR HIGH
SCHOOL, AND IT APPEARS TO BE THE
TRACKING HASN'T BEGUN YET IN
ARIZONA, SHOULDN'T AN ALERT HAVE
BEEN ISSUED EARLIER?
>> THE ALERT WAS ISSUED ABOUT A
WEEK OR TWO WEEKS AGO.
WE'VE BEEN DOING IT FOR A LITTLE
BIT.
BIT.
BIT. WHAT
BIT. WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING IS
ESTABLISHING WHAT THE CASE
DEFINITION IS.
DEFINITION IS. BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF
PULMONARY DISEASE OUT THE.
SO YOU DON'T WANT TO CAPTURE
CASES THAT MAY NOT BE ASSOCIATED
WITH IT.
WITH IT.
WITH IT. >> TALK ABOUT THE DISEASE, THE
SYMPTOMS, AND HOW IT'S BEING
TRTED.
TRTED.
TRTED. >>
TRTED. >> THE SYMPTOMS VARY.
THEY CAN HAVE CHEST PAIN,
DIFFICULTY BREATHING, COUGH,
FEVER, NAUSEA, VOMITING, WEIGHT
LONG.
LONG.
LONG. THEY'RE VERY NONDESCRIPT
SYMPTOMS.
SYMPTOMS.
SYMPTOMS. IT WASN'T UNTIL PHYSICIANS
STARTED ASKING ABOUT HISTORY OF
VAPING THAT WE'VE CONNECTED
THESE THINGS.
THESE THINGS. >> HOW MANY VAPING-RELATED
ILLNESSES OR SUSPECTED VAPING
RELATED ILLNESSES ARE THERE IN
ARIZONA?
ARIZONA?
ARIZONA? >> RIGHT NOW ARIZONA HAS ZERO
CONFIRMED CASED OF PROBABLE
VAPING ILLNESS.
VAPING ILLNESS. >> THERE ARE SIX OR SEVEN
SUSPECTED CASES.
SUSPECTED CASES. ARE YOU AWARE OF THOSE?
>> WHAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW
IS THE CASE DEFINITION INVOLVES
TESTING AND FOLLOWUP SO WHAT WE
HAVE TO DO IS RULE OUT ALL OTHER
CAUSES OF DISEASE AND THEN ANY
OTHER INFECTIOUS IDEOLOGIES THAT
COULD PLAY A ROLE.
WE BELIEVE NEXT WEEK WE'LL
PROBABLY HAVE CONFIRMED PROBABLE
CASES.
CASES.
CASES. >>
CASES. >> BECAUSE IT SEEMS THERE ARE
VERY FEW HOSPITALS HERE THAT ARE
ON TOP OF THIS.
>> THE HOSPITALS HAVE BEEN
WORKING.
WORKING.
WORKING. WHAT WE'VE ASKED HEALTHCARE
PROVIDERS TO DO IS TO REPORT TO
POISON CONTROL.
POISON CONTROL. WHAT WE'RE ALSO DOING IS TAKING
A LOOK BACK IN THE HOSPITAL
DISCHARGE DATA TO SEE IF THERE
ARE CASES MAYBE THAT WENT
UNDIAGNOSED AS WELL AS
SYNDROMEIC SURVEILLANCE.
SYNDROMEIC SURVEILLANCE. >> ARE YOU READY TO ISSUE A
VAPING ALERT TO TELL PEOPLE TO
STOP OR CUT BACK ON THEIR USE OF
VAPING DEVICES?
VAPING DEVICES? >> ARIZONA HAS BEEN IN THE
FOREFRONT OF VAPING.
ON DECEMBER 31ST WE ISSUED AN
ANTI-VAPE CAMPAIGN AIMED AT KIDS
19 TO 13.
19 TO 13.
19 TO 13. SO WE'VE BEEN OUT THERE.
WHAT WE ARE WARNING PEOPLE NOW
IS IF YOU DON'T VAPE, DON'T
START.
START.
START. IF
START. IF YOU ARE A KID, THERE'S NO
SAFE LEVEL OF NICOTINE AND YOU
SHOULD NOT VAPE.
IF YOU'RE PREGNANT, DO NOT VAPE.
IF YOU'RE A CURRENT VAPER AND
YOU START TO RECOGNIZE THOSE
SYMPTOMS, CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE
PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY.
PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY. >> SHOULD PEOPLE WHO ARE VAPING
RIGHT NOW, SHOULD THEY CUT BACK
OR STOP?
OR STOP?
OR STOP? >> WHAT WE'D RECOMMEND SINCE WE
DON'T KNOW WHAT'S CAUSING THIS,
IF YOU DEVELOP THOSE SYMPTOMS,
MAKE SURE YOU'RE CONTACTING YOUR
HEALTHCARE PROVIDER AT THIS
TIME.
TIME.
TIME. >>
TIME. >> THERE'S A BIG DEBATE GOING
ON ABOUT THE CAUSE OF THIS.
WHAT DO YOU KNOW?
>> SO FAR WE'RE NOT SURE WHAT
THE CAUSE IS.
WHAT WE ARE ADVISING PEOPLE, IF
YOU DON'T VAPE, PLEASE DON'T
START.
START.
START. IF
START. IF YOU DO VAPE, DON'T MODIFY
YOUR CARTRIDGES OR YOUR DEVICE.
MAKE SURE YOU'RE BUYING THEM
INTACT AND OVER THE COUNTER AND
NOT GETTING THEM FROM SOURCES
THAT AREN'T LEGITIMATE.
>> THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT'S COME OUT.
THE PEOPLE IN THE INDUSTRY ARGUE
THERE'S A BLACK MARKET CARTRIDGE
USED TO VAPE THC, THE ACTIVE
INGREDIENT IN MARIJUANA, THAT'S
RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL OF THIS, AND
IT DOES APPEAR THAT THESE
ILLNESSES ARE TIED TO THE
INTRODUCTION OF THAT CARTRIDGE
AND NOW THE CARTRIDGE HAS BEEN
YANKED APPARENTLY FROM THE BLACK
MARKET.
MARKET.
MARKET. >> THAT'S WHY WE'D RECOMMEND
JUST MAKE SURE YOU'RE USING
INTACT PRODUCT THAT YOU'VE
BOUGHT FROM A SOURCE.
>> IS THIS ONE MORE SIGN THAT
THE LEGISLATION INTRODUCED LAST
SESSION BUT DIDN'T PASS TO TREAT
VAPING LIKE SMOKING IS NEEDED?
>> I THINK THAT'S REALLY A
QUESTION FOR THE POLICY MAKERS.
>> WHAT DO YOU THINK?
>> WELL, AS A MOM AND AS A
PUBLIC HEALTH PROFESSIONAL, I DO
NOT WANT CHILDREN TO START
VAPING.
VAPING.
VAPING. I
VAPING. I THINK THAT DOES LEAD TO HIGHER
RATES OF SMOKING EARLY ON,
ESPECIALLY IF THEY START IN THAT
9 TO 13 AGE GROUP.
WE DO KNOW THAT WE ARE HAVING
ISSUES IN OUR SCHOOLS.
SO IF PARENTS ARE WORRIED ABOUT
THEIR CHILD VAPING, WE HAVE A
WEBSITE WHERE YOU CAN GO.
WE SHOW YOU WHAT THE CARTRIDGES
LOOK LIKE.
LOOK LIKE. WE TELL YOU HOW TO TALK TO YOUR
CHILDREN ABOUT THE DANGERS AND