A student at Sequoyah High School is in the hospital after Monroe County Schools said they suffered a medical emergency reportedly due to vaping.
"We are greatly saddened as a school community to report that one of our Sequoyah High School students was transported earlier today by LifeStar to a hospital in the Knoxville area," MCS director DeAnna McClendon said. "It was reported this medical emergency was due to vaping. Because U.S. Surgeon General has declared teen vaping to be a nationwide epidemic, Monroe County Schools will launch a full educational campaign to make students, parents, and faculty aware of the dangers of vaping."
McClendon also asked parents to talk to their children and check their backpacks and rooms for any vaping products, saying they are worried students do not understand how dangerous e-cigarettes are and "experiment with them due to a lack of understanding."
Vaping has come under scrutiny after hundreds of cases of respiratory illness were identified specifically in people who reported using e-cigarettes.
The Centers for Disease Control and U.S. Food and Drug Administration are investigating the outbreak, recommending people not to use e-cigarettes while authorities investigate.
As the number of cases continues to climb, Anne Schuchat from the CDC told a congressional subcommittee that she believes "hundreds more" lung illnesses have been reported to health authorities since last Thursday, when the CDC put the tally at 530 confirmed and probable cases. Nine deaths have been reported.
The CDC has not yet identified a common electronic cigarette or ingredient involved, but both it and the FDA are looking into a number of factors present in many of the cases, including use of THC products, modified mixtures and street-bought cartridges.
Many patients reported vaping THC from marijuana, but Schuchat and state health officials have cautioned that some said they only vaped nicotine.
The illnesses, which resemble an inhalation injury, have helped trigger a swift backlash against e-cigarettes, including a proposed federal ban on flavors by the Trump administration, state-level restrictions in Michigan and New York, and an end to sales in Walmart stores nationwide.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.