The Philippines today reported its first case of lung injury due to the use of e-cigarettes, which have spread in the country despite warnings of electronic smoking.

The 16-year-old girl, from the central Visayas district, was taken to hospital on October 21 because of "a sudden onset of severe shortness of breath," the health ministry said. The girl was initially thought to have a lung infection, but after further examinations, it turned out that the criteria for “lung injury associated with e-cigarettes or electronic smoking”, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), were found to be applicable. Ministry.

It turned out that the girl smoked e-cigarettes daily for four months, and after that period also smoked ordinary cigarettes.

The ministry said the patient was discharged from hospital and had quit.

Health authorities are calling on citizens to avoid electronic cigarettes, saying they are not healthy alternatives to smoking.