Malaysia Finds 17 Cases Of Lung Injury Due To Vape

UNSPLASH/E-Liquids UK ILLUSTRATION

JAKARTA - The Malaysian Ministry of Health (KKM) has detected 17 cases of lung injury due to the use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarette or vaping assisted lung injury/EVALI) until June 2023.

Malaysia's Director General of Health Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan in a media statement in Putrajaya, Tuesday, June 13, said his ministry had been monitoring EVALI since June 2022.

KKM asked medical officers to report if they found a patient suspected of having the disease.

As reported by ANTARA, the results of Malaysia's national health and morbidity surveys in 2022 noted that the use of vape among adolescents aged 13-17 years increased to 14.9 percent in 2022 from 9.8 percent in 2017.

Electronic cigarettes or vapes are a tool that heats the liquid to produce aerosols inhaled by the user. The liquid usually contains nicotine, taste, and other chemicals.

According to Radzi, the use of vape has been proven to harm its users for causing EVALI.

If heated, the electronic cigarette liquid will produce chemicals that can cause inflammation in the lung layer and cause EVALI, he said.