CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The state health officer and commissioner of the Bureau for Public Health has issued a warning to medical professionals and facilities in West Virginia regarding patients with a severe pulmonary illness.
The health alert from State Health Officer Dr. Catherine Slemp comes after multiple states have reported cases of severe pulmonary illness involving young people who have vaped nicotine and THC-containing products.
Slemp and state agencies said patients who have a history of vaping and severe pulmonary symptoms should be immediately reported to local health departments, and doctors should consider a consultation with a pulmonologist. They added patients should be asked about any history of vaping if they show signs of illness.
The state Bureau for Public Health is investigating cases, which have been described as sporadic.
Symptoms include shortness of breath, fever, cough, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Some cases also involve weight loss, dizziness and chest pain. The symptoms can worsen over several days or weeks before someone is admitted to a hospital. Some cases have resulted in hospital stays of several weeks.