The Philippine government has recorded the first death due to e-cigarette or vape-associated lung injury (EVALI).
Health advocates made the statement at a forum during the World No Tobacco Day on Friday.
The first case was published in the Respirology Case Reports journal of the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology by Dr. Margarita Isabel Fernandez and other doctors of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in Manila.
The patient was a 22-year-old male who had no prior health issues but died of a heart attack in 2023, following severe lung injury linked to vaping.
Dr. Riz Gonzales of the Philippine Pediatric Society Tobacco and Nicotine Control Advocacy Group said that the patient has no prior smoking experience but was only enticed to vaping for two years.
“Healthy, sporty… walang bisyo, non-smoker. Pumunta sa PGH kasi sumisikip ang dibdib tapos may ubo. ‘Pag kita sa lungs niya, puti – so iyong tinatawag nating white-out lung. So in layman’s term, pwede nating sabihing parang nabura iyong clear lungs niya kasi binara. Iyong mga vape chemicals, naka-induce ng pamamaga at tsaka iyong tinatawag na inflammation. Ngayon, iyon ding vape na iyon ang naging cause para maging barado ang mga ugat sa kanyang heart, kaya nagkaroon ng parang nag-heart attack, iyong tinatawag nating myocardial infarction,” she said.
“So double whammy: barado ang lungs, burado ang lungs, barado ang puso… Namatay siya in spite of all the efforts na ginawa ng mga doktor sa PGH. Ito ay ang unang documented case,” Gonzalez added.
The doctor said the patient was a victim of misinformation.
“Hindi naman kasi sasabihin mong sila iyong may kagagawan but it’s actually deception, the tobacco industry interference. What have they done with the laws? Yeah, we have lost but we still have to improve this loss,” the doctor added.
“We have to protect our children, the young from the tobacco industry because vaping, e-cigarettes, and electronic smoking devices are very, very harmful. You are still developing, growing, and you’d be productive, and you should not be having that rest in peace,” Gonzalez explained.
There are 6 recorded EVALI cases in the Philippines.
Other cases include a 16-year-old dual smoker from Central Visayas and a 22-year-old from Alabang, who used to smoke cigarettes then shifted to vaping.
