Health Update: Reporting guidelines changed for vaping-associated lung injury

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and public health agencies in Washington State continue to investigate a multi-state outbreak of vaping-associated lung injury. The latest information about the outbreak can be found on the CDC and Department of Health websites. 

Symptoms

Patients in this investigation have reported symptoms such as cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, fever, and/or abdominal pain. Some patients have reported that their symptoms developed over a few days, while others have reported that their symptoms developed over several weeks.

Healthcare providers should ask patients presenting with the above symptoms whether they have vaped or dabbed in the past 90 days.

Reporting Cases to Public Health

Healthcare providers are required to report cases of vaping-associated lung injury to their local health department within 3 days. Please report patients who meet the following criteria.

Any hospitalized patient who:

Reports vaping or dabbing in the 90 days prior to symptom onset

AND

Has a chest X-ray with pulmonary infiltrates or a chest CT scan with ground-glass opacities

AND

Has no pulmonary infection (i.e., negative respiratory viral panel, negative flu test, and other clinically-indicated respiratory infectious disease testing negative) or an infection has been identified, but you feel this is not the sole cause of the lung injury or complete infectious disease testing was not performed, but you feel an infection is not the sole cause of the lung injury

AND

There is no other alternative plausible diagnosis such as a cardiac, rheumatologic no neoplastic process.

 For more information, see the full CDC case definition.

Healthcare providers and healthcare facilities are required to report vaping-associated lung injury per an emergency rule passed by the State Board of Health on October 9th and, as a  rare disease of public health significance, per WAC 246-101-101 and WAC 246-101-301.

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Health Alert: Immediate action needed
Health Update: Updated information on Alert or Advisory

Health Advisory: May require immediate action
Info Service: Not of an emergent nature