BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — The Department of Public Health has confirmed a second person in Massachusetts has died of a vaping-related lung illness.
Officials said a woman in her 40s in Middlesex County who vaped nicotine is the victim.
According to DPH data, there have been 20 confirmed cases of vaping-related lung injuries in Massachusetts, and 41 probable cases. The department said in a release that more than 200 suspected cases have been reported to them.
View Mass DPH's Weekly Vape Illness Data Here
"I am deeply saddened to learn about the death of a second patient from this lung injury,’’ Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel, MD, MPH, said in the release. "While we continue to work with our federal partners to investigate the cause of these vaping-associated lung injuries, we cannot at this time attribute a single substance or product to this outbreak of illness."
Gov. Charlie Baker instituted a temporary four-month ban on all vaping products last month, and declared a public health emergency in the Commonwealth.
A woman in her 60s from Hampshire County was reported to have died from a vaping-related illness back on October 7.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
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