Article content

Cases of severe pulmonary disease with links to vaping are now considered a notifiable disease in Alberta, meaning that physicians are required to report all cases they observe to the province.

The decree comes amid reports from the United States of a mysterious vaping-related lung illness that has afflicted more than 450 people and killed five, according to a report from the country’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention. A Sept. 5 memo from Alberta Health Services outlined signs of illness for doctors to look for.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Alberta Health mandates doctor reporting of vaping-related disease Back to video

“As we’re watching the situation unfold in the United States, we wanted to make sure we had set up a framework for reporting any cases that might occur in Alberta as quickly as possible,” said Deena Hinshaw, the province’s chief medical officer of health.

So far, no cases of a lung illness associated with vaping have been reported in Alberta. But AHS is advising doctors to reinforce that groups including pregnant women and young people shouldn’t vape at all, as well as asking physicians to inform patients that while the mystery illness is under investigation, using vaping as a method to quit smoking isn’t recommended.