MISAMIS ORIENTAL (PIA)--The Department of Health Center for Health Development Northern Mindanao (DOH-CHDNM), together with the Philippine College of Chest Physicians, emphasizes the harm that e-cigarettes or vaping brings to the body despite being tagged as an alternative option to traditional tobacco smoking.

Despite the fact that manufacturers promote e-cigarettes or vaping as an alternative to tobacco cigarettes, lung damage is still a possibility. The DOH recorded the first case of E-cigarette, or Vaping Product, Use Associated Lung Injury (EVALI) in a 16-year-old girl from Central Visayas in 2019.

EVALI is a medical condition wherein the lungs are damaged due to the chemical substances that e-cigarettes or vape products contain. It causes symptoms such as shortness of breath, cough, chest pain, fever and chills, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, rapid heartbeat, and rapid and shallow breathing.

Meanwhile, based on the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) data done in 2019, 1 in every 7 students, aged 13–15, is already using e-cigarettes, and 37.1% of the youths, regardless of their age, are not prevented from buying the said products from stores or street vendors. In addition, despite being advertised as an alternative to a traditional cigarette, 1 in every 4 individuals who use e-cigarettes has never smoked conventional cigarettes.

"For the young ones who still have vices such as smoking, drinking, or the like, it is high time to stop now. If you stop, you can see the changes not only in your life but also in the people around you," DOH-10 OIC Assistant Regional Director David Mendoza said.

To ensure the success of the advocacy, the health department urges all local government units to regulate or ban the use of tobacco cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and vaping in their respective jurisdictions. (JAKA/PIA-10)