The CDC on Jan. 7 confirmed the nation's youngest victim of vaping-related lung illness to date: a 15-year-old boy from Texas, reports CNN.
Health authorities in Dallas first reported the death Dec. 31. The boy had underlying health conditions and represented Dallas County's first death linked to e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury, or EVALI.
As of Jan. 7, the CDC has confirmed 2,602 EVALI hospitalizations nationwide, including 57 deaths.
The rate of new EVALI cases has declined since peaking in September. However, the CDC is still warning Americans to avoid using vaping products that contain THC. The agency has identified a thickening agent called vitamin E acetate as the likely culprit of the illnesses but said other chemicals cannot be ruled out yet.