Five-year-old Hospitalised in Australia After Vaping Because it ‘Tastes Like Grape’

A five-year-old boy was hospitalised after vaping at a school in Victoria, Australia. His parents, concerned after the incident, called for placing stricter regulations to avoid further such instances. The fruit flavors of vapes are what entice kids and lead to such accidents. The root cause of the hospitalisation was the ingestion of chemicals found in the disposable vape. It was brought to school by the 5-year-old’s friend and belonged to the mother of one of the other friends who brought it to school to share it with his peers. In an interview with the Herald Sun, the boy’s father said, “The innocence about it is so dangerous. His friend brought it to school and told him to suck on it because it tastes like grapes. The vape was empty by the time we picked them up from school.”

While the incident happened weeks ago in the school playground, the boy has since been suffering from health issues. He was rushed to the hospital after coughing and vomiting on Friday. Over 2 lakh Australians are estimated to be using vapes. The Australian Medical Association (AMA) brought about stricter norms to minimise the usage of e-cigarettes to protect smokers and the non-smoking people, including young children. Vapes containing nicotine can only be legally obtained with a prescription.