Anson County Health Department is tackling this emerging vaping trend by providing a new program called CATCH My Breath to Anson County Schools.
The CATCH My Breath is being provided by Dinikia Savage, the health educator and tobacco leader of the ACHD.
“The CATCH My Breath Youth E-cigarette Prevention Program’s goal is to increase students’ knowledge of E-cigarettes, vaping, and nicotine and addiction dangers while cutting their intended use of the product in the future. CATCH My Breath includes active student-centered learning,” Savage said.
The program offers in-class activities, teacher education, online resources, and take-home materials for parents. The program is based on tobacco awareness and prevention. The curriculum consists of 4 lessons.
An Anson County Tobacco-Free website has been created for the youth of the county to participate in activities, events, and to make a statement and take a stand against the harmful effects of tobacco and its related products such as vapor, e-cigarettes, and JUUL.
Interested citizens can visit Tobacco-FreeAnson.com.
“This trend called has sent over 1,000 people, mostly teens and young adults, to the hospital with lung illnesses since April according to the Centers for Disease Control and prevention (CDC),” Savage said. “There has been a total of 18 deaths.”
Patients typically experienced coughing, chest pain or shortness of breath before their health worsened to the point that they needed to be hospitalized, according to the (CDC). Other reported symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, fever and weight loss.
“Many victims have ended up with acute respiratory distress syndrome, a life-threatening condition in which fluid builds up in the lungs and prevents the oxygen people’s bodies need to function from circulating in the bloodstream,” Savage added. “More than two-thirds of patients were male, and the median age is 23; and more than half of all the patients were under 25.”
Savage went on to say, “The patients have reported vaping various substances, including nicotine and marijuana.”
She added that some of the patients mentioned they bought their e-cigarette products on the street.
“E-cigarettes have been sold for more than a decade, but reports of vaping-linked illness started increasing this year,” she said.
Please contact Dinikia Savage at 704-994-3342 for any questions and concerns.