Doctors say vaping was one of the contributing factors to the deterioration in the health of Sarah, who suffers from asthma.
A 12-year-old British girl suffered a collapsed lung and spent four days in an induced coma. You told the BBC that children should never vape.
Sarah Griffin suffers from asthma and vaped frequently until she was taken to hospital a month ago with breathing problems. Her mother, Mary, told the BBC that she was afraid of losing her daughter.
The British government has announced plans to restrict the promotion and sale of vaporizers to children. The proposals will be open for national public consultation for the next eight weeks.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said these proposals would “reverse the worrying rise in vaping use among young people” by making vapes less colorful and less attractive to children.
UK Health Minister Steve Barclay said the government is committed to taking immediate action to create legislation following public consultation. He told BBC Radio 4’s Today program that “school governors are concerned and parents are concerned” about vaping companies’ marketing to young people.
At the recent opposition British Labor Party conference, shadow health minister Wes Streeting said that a possible Labor government would “prosecute” vape companies that offer scents such as “rainbow” to children.
The British government’s proposal
The UK Government has announced a national consultation on its proposals to tackle youth vaping. They include:
- limit flavors and descriptions of vaporizers so that they are no longer intended for children
- keep vaporizers out of the sight of children in shops
- regulate the packaging of vaporizers so that they are not directed at children
- test whether increasing the price of vaporizers can reduce the number of young users
- consider restrictions on the sale of disposable vapes, which ministers say are clearly linked to increased consumption by children and are immensely harmful to the environment.
Sarah Woolnough, of Asthma + Lung UK, says she would like to see restrictions on the marketing of vapes so they are not aimed at children.
For her, “disposable vapes with their current low prices, chewing gum designs and flavor options are too attractive and easily accessible for children.”
Chris Whitty, chief medical officer at England’s Department of Health, says the sale of vapes or e-cigarettes to children is “completely unacceptable”.
But, according to him, vaping can be useful for smokers to quit smoking, since it is “less dangerous than smoking”.
12 years old and in a coma
Sarah Griffin’s bedroom in her home in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is like that of most 12-year-old girls: a dressing table full of makeup, perfume bottles and hair straighteners, plus children’s dolls on the bed
But that’s where he also hid his mother’s vapes. He also made holes in the carpet to prevent them from being found.
Sarah started vaping when she was just nine years old.
Her mother tried to stop her. Once she returned home she searched her and confiscated her cell phone. But nothing helped.
Last British summer, Sarah vaped 4,000 puffs in just a few days. Standard vaporizers hold 600 hits.
Vaping was the first thing she did when she woke up and the last thing before she went to sleep. She fell asleep with the vaporizer on her pillow.
In the UK it is illegal to sell vapes to anyone under 18. But Sarah managed to buy vapes in stores and became addicted to nicotine.
Sarah’s asthma and incorrect inhaler use increased the risk of complications.
At the beginning of September he had a cold. Combined with vaping, he formed what Sarah’s doctor describes as a “perfect storm.”
“Many risk factors have progressed in the wrong direction,” says Dara O’Donoghue, a pediatrician specializing in respiratory diseases at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Belfast.
Sarah became ill and was taken to hospital. An x-ray showed that only one of her lungs was functioning properly and that she was not responding to treatment.
Within hours he was in intensive care. And, shortly thereafter, she was placed in a medically induced coma, in the hope that her condition would stabilize.
For Mary, Sarah’s mother, the moment was desperate. “There are no words that describe the moment you think your daughter is going to die,” she says.
After four days, Sarah gradually recovered. She is now recovering, but her lungs are permanently damaged.
“She does lung exercises. That’s something you’d expect from an 80-year-old, not from someone who’s 12,” her mother says.
“Open your eyes because this happens everywhere, maybe even to your child,” warns Maria. “No matter what you think, people like to think their kids don’t do these things, but the reality is very, very different.”
Sarah hopes her experience will help other young people her age realize the risks posed by vaping.
“Don’t start smoking because once you start you can’t stop,” he advises. “Basically, you only stop when you have to, when the situation is life or death.”
O’Donoghue says youth smoking is an “emergency situation” that needs to be addressed “urgently”.
For the doctor, “we need to raise public awareness about vaporizers because the health problems associated with them are just beginning to appear.”
Recent data indicates that one in five children aged 11 to 17 in the UK have tried vaping. This number has tripled compared to 2020.
Vaping smoking among younger children is also on the rise: about one in 10 children aged 11 to 15, according to a 2021 survey. And many countries around the world are seeing similar trends.
Fidelma Carter, of Chest, Heart and Stroke in Northern Ireland, says 17% of young vape smokers use the product regularly.
“Young people vape because they think there is no risk, that there is no danger,” he explains. “And we want to dispel misconceptions and raise awareness that vaping smoke can harm people’s health and well-being.”
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
