A 15-year-old boy was hospitalised after suffering a seizure while vaping in a school toilet, the latest case of an e-cigarette or vaping injury involving a minor, as Malaysia’s government dithers over calls to ban the devices.
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The teen had reportedly sneaked out from class with two friends during an exam on Monday in the northernmost state of Perlis and suffered a seizure not long after he started vaping.
“The student was unconscious and foaming at the mouth. The teacher immediately alerted the school administration,” Perlis education director Rose Aza Che Arifin was quoted as saying by local Malay daily Harian Metro.
“Medical staff have yet to determine what sort of vape [was used by the student] and we are assisting the school to prepare a preliminary report.”
This was the second documented case of a vape-related injury in Perlis. In November, a 14-year-old boy injured his leg when he fell from the first-floor roof of a school building after complaining of dizziness due to vaping.
Malaysia’s government has flip-flopped on imposing a vape ban. The health ministry, which initially mooted a full ban, said in February that it would instead focus on strict regulation which includes removing vape and e-cigarettes from shop counters to make it difficult for children to access the products.