To provide the most up-to-date information on the outbreak of lung injury cases related to e-cigarette use nationally, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention will host its second informational webinar on the topic on Tuesday, November 19, 2019, at 11 A.M.

Dr. Siiri Bennett, Maine State Epidemiologist, will lead the presentation.  Emily Moores, Acting Manager of the Chronic Disease Prevention Program, will also present. The webinar will update information provided during a previous presentation on Oct. 9, 2019, including an overview of e-cigarette products associated with cases nationally and in Maine, common clinical findings, and recommendations for clinicians. The webinar will be recorded, and a link for later viewing will be posted on the Maine CDC website.

As of November 6, 2019, Maine has reported five cases of vaping-related lung injury to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. These patients exhibited symptoms similar to those cited in almost 1,900 cases nationally. Maine’s reported cases to date involve four adults and one youth. None of the cases in Maine has been fatal, and there have been 37 deaths nationally. 

Pulmonary disease associated with e-cigarette use has been added to the list of Notifiable Conditions that are required to be reported to Maine CDC. The webinar will provide guidance to clinicians on how to conform with the new reporting requirement and information on how the U.S. CDC defines probable and confirmed cases. 

We encourage you to participate. To join the Zoom Meeting presentation, click here:

https://zoom.us/j/338120942?pwd=cmIxMHdwbFRrT01zbVd0NHl5NGU5Zz09

Meeting ID: 338 120 942

Password: 763570

To participate by phone, dial:

        +1 646 558 8656

Meeting ID: 338 120 942

Nirav D. Shah

Director, Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention