Recent concerns about vaping have health officials raising awareness surrounding the potential risks.
New Brunswick’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Jennifer Russell says they are still working out the best approach, when it comes to looking for symptoms in patients.
“We have sent out two memos to clinicians here in the province outlining, what those criteria are and what to be looking for and using their clinical judgement, they will determine what to do when someone presents symptoms,” Dr. Russell says.
Some of the symptoms associated with vaping could be cough, chest pain or shortness of breath.
Dr. Russell says, “Vaping does not come without risks. All of the risks in perspective to the long term have not been determined yet. Our advice right now is don’t vape if you are pregnant, don’t vape if you are a young person, and if you have never smoked before, don’t start vaping.”
In the United States, about 64 per cent the cases of illness were vaping with cannabis products in the e-juice. Dr. Russell says, “Here in Canada there are no legal products on the market right now that have cannabis in them. So anyone who is vaping a cannabis product, it is not a legal product.”
She adds one of their priorities is to keep vaping products out of the hands of youth, “The ease of getting these things on the black market or in the legal market has meant that vaping rates amongst youth are going up. We see those stats happening and it is concerning,” Dr. Russell says.