Health advocates and youth groups on Friday have urged the government to stop tobacco and vape companies from targeting Filipino youth.

The Philippine Pediatric Society’s Tobacco and Nicotine Control Advocacy Group warned that more children are at risk of developing e-cigarette or vape-use-associated lung injury (EVALI) in the coming years as vape products become more accessible in many parts of the country.

At present, only one case of EVALI has been confirmed by the Department of Health in the country in 2021, which involved a 16-year-old girl from the Visayas.

“We cannot allow the vape addiction to worsen or let an EVALI crisis happen in our country especially among young Filipinos. That is why we should not stop educating our children on the health dangers of vapes and continue debunking widespread misinformation,” said Dr. Rizalina Gonzalez, chair of the Philippine Pediatric Society’s Tobacco and Nicotine Control Advocacy Group.