CDC chief says cause of vaping illnesses still a health riddle

With a growing number of examples of people getting sick from vaping and e-cigarette use, the head of the Centers for Disease Control told Congress on Tuesday that government researchers have not been able to nail down exactly why people were getting sick - or even dying.

"We are seeing more and more cases each day," said Dr. Anne Schuchat, as she told a House panel that some people became sick after using nicotine, some by adding THC, or any other common item.

"We don't yet know yet if there is a new, particularly risky product out there, or a substance that's in the products," the CDC chief said.

"We are quite concerned about the rise in nicotine-containing e-cigarette use," the CDC chief said, warning that children should not be vaping, as more bad medical news continues to roll in.

"I expect the next weekly numbers will be much higher," the CDC chief said about the matter, specifically referring to the vaping cases as a 'lung injury' - unlike longer-term damage seen from regular smoking.

Schuchat said the short-term outlook was not good, saying the data is 'concerning.'

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