Santa Barbara County confirms first vaping-related pulmonary illness

Santa Barbara County Public Health officials have confirmed the first local vaping-related illness.

Jackie Ruiz, a spokeswoman for Santa Barbara County Public Health, confirmed to our newsroom that the person became sick back in July and involved a patient in their late teens, suffering from a pulmonary illness.

Ruiz was not able to give information regarding the patient’s exact age or gender, however, she did confirm that the person was hospitalized for one day.

The spokeswoman explained that the teen contracted the illness before the California Public Health Department had issued guidelines to state and local providers; those came out mid-August.

Since then, county medical experts and a disease control team, along with those who treated the teen, were able to confirm the link to vaping.

Ruiz said the teen vaped both nicotine and THC and has since recovered.

Health experts here at home and across the country urge people to refrain from vaping, “no matter the substance or source.”

For more information about Santa Barbara County Public Health, click here.

For more information on the dangers of vaping, visit the Centers For Disease Control website.

KEYT 2019