FILE PHOTO: A man uses a vape device in this illustration picture, September 19, 2019. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi/Illustration/File Photo
(Reuters) – U.S. health officials on Thursday reported 2,051 confirmed and probable cases and 2 more deaths from a mysterious respiratory illness tied to vaping, taking the total death toll to 39.
Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 1,888 cases and 37 deaths from the illness.
As of Nov. 5, 39 deaths have been confirmed in 24 states and the District of Columbia, the agency said. (bit.ly/2NrLYXW)
Investigators have not linked the cases to any specific product or compound, but have pointed to vaping oils containing THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, as being especially risky.
Reporting by Manojna Maddipatla and Saumya Sibi Joseph in Bengaluru in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber