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The number of vaping-related illnesses has surpassed 1,000, and there’s no sign the outbreak is fading, U.S. health officials said Thursday. Doctors say the illnesses, which first appeared in March, resemble an inhalation injury. Symptoms include severe, shortness of breath, fatigue, and chest pain. Most who got sick said they vaped products containing THC, the marijuana ingredient that causes a high, but some said they vaped only nicotine. (Stobbe, 10/3)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that cases had occurred in 48 states and the United States Virgin Islands. This week, Nebraska, Alabama, Delaware, Connecticut, Virginia and New Jersey reported deaths, which brought the total to 19 in 16 states. (Grady, 10/3)

The CDC recommends that people stay away from vaping altogether while the investigation is continuing, singling out THC-containing products specifically, as 78% of patients who self-reported their vaping products to officials reported use of THC. THC is the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis. (Abbott, 10/3)

“The increasing number of lung injury cases we see associated with e-cigarette use, or vaping, is deeply concerning,” Robert Redfield, director of the CDC, said in a statement. “Unfortunately, this may be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the escalating health threat this outbreak poses to the American public, particularly youth and young adults.” (Langreth, 10/3)

The latest survey found that 70% of the lung injury cases involved males and 37% were from users under 21 years of age. The median age of those who died was 49.5, but even young vapers might face long-term injuries, Schuchat said. (Stanglin, 10/3)

[T]he CDC says it still doesn't know the cause of the illnesses, and no brand or substance has been linked to all cases. It might not be THC or nicotine that is making people sick, but any number of the chemicals or additives that are found in vaping liquids, particularly those bought off the street. (Hellmann, 10/3)

"We're worried that there are plenty of risky products still out there," the CDC's principal deputy director, Dr. Anne Schuchat, said during a briefing with reporters. "That's one of the reasons we've intensified our warnings." The agency is now warning people to avoid use of all vaping products, especially products containing THC. "It is pretty much impossible for you to know what is in the e-cigarette or vaping product that you're getting, particularly THC-containing products bought off the street or bought from social sources," said Schuchat. (Aubrey and Wroth, 10/3)

The CDC is working with the Food and Drug Administration and the Drug Enforcement Administration to find the sources and causes of the outbreak and remove them from circulation. But Schuchat said that is likely to be difficult and time-consuming. “I’m not optimistic that tomorrow, we’ll be able to pull all the risky stuff off the market,” she said. (Sun, 10/3)

It’s a widely known vape cartridge in the marijuana economy, but it’s not a licensed brand. And it’s got the kind of market buzz no legitimate company would want. The vape cartridges that go by the catchy, one-syllable name “Dank” -- a slang word for highly potent cannabis -- are figuring prominently in the federal investigation to determine what has caused a rash of mysterious and sometimes fatal lung illnesses apparently linked to vaping. Most of the cases have involved products that contain the marijuana compound THC, often obtained from illegal sources. (Blood, 10/4)

Health officials, lawmakers and parents have been raising alarms about vaping for a couple of years, warning that products touted as healthier alternatives for smokers are instead drawing in young people with fun flavors and slick marketing — concerns the Trump administration cited this month while announcing plans to ban most flavored e-cigarettes. The caution has taken on new urgency in recent weeks as authorities scramble to understand a rash of mysterious vaping-linked illnesses that have put healthy people in the hospital with serious lung diseases. (Knowles and Sun, 10/3)

Health officials across the nation are are telling people to refrain entirely from vaping, whether marijuana or nicotine. Politicians have been passing laws banning e-cigarettes and other tobacco-related products. The messaging has gotten a little messy. Here’s some information to help sort it out. (Karlamangla, 10/3)

Doctors at the WakeMed Raleigh campus saw three relatively young adults come in within a week of each other this summer, all struggling to breathe and with no other obvious signs of what could be causing their distress, said Kevin Davidson, one of the critical care pulmonologists at WakeMed, in an interview with N.C. Health News. All three patients told doctors they recently vaped some form of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active compound in marijuana that leads to the characteristic high. Davidson and his colleagues quickly realized there may be a danger that stretched far beyond the treatment rooms of the Raleigh hospital. (Ovaska-Few, 10/4)