Politics are taking a toll on Americans' health, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The American Medical Association on Oct. 4 sent a letter to CEOs of the nation's five largest e-commerce websites asking them to help combat sales of illicit vaping products.

The FDA warned consumers not to buy any vaping products containing THC while they try to determine what's causing the mysterious illness that has now affected over 1,000 people and killed 18.

More hepatitis A outbreaks are occurring in states hit hard by the opioid epidemic, reversing a long-term decline of the viral liver disease, according to The Wall Street Journal. 

The FDA tried to ban flavored fluids for e-cigarettes four years ago, according to an investigation by the Los Angeles Times.

Four healthcare organizations have collectively contributed $2.68 million to a project that will build an apartment complex in Eugene, Ore., with 24-hour, in-house services for the homeless, The Register-Guard reported.

Denver Health is repurposing an old building into apartments for homeless patients transitioning out of the hospital, according to USA Today. 

The ACA is linked to improving health outcomes, The Washington Post reports.

Boston Children's Hospital received $100,000 from Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation to create a protocol for primary care providers treating pediatric patients with nicotine addiction from vaping, according to Mass Live.

A House subcommittee sent letters to four e-cigarette companies asking them to stop advertising their products, according to CNBC.

Hundreds of people across the country have been sickened by a severe lung illness linked to vaping. As a result, health officials, retailers and states have been working to better regulate the sale of e-cigarettes until the FDA understands the direct cause. 

Rhode Island became the latest state to take legislative action against vaping when Gov.Gina Raimondo signed an executive order Sept. 25 banning the sale of flavored e-cigarettes, according to CBS Boston.

The FDA's acting commissioner, Ned Sharpless, MD, said the agency expects to finalize a policy on flavored e-cigarettes and vaping products in the coming weeks, according to CNN.

A U.S. Representative grilled the FDA during a hearing this week, saying the agency should have acted faster to curb the popularity of vaping among young people, according to CNBC.

Juul has suspended all broadcast, print and digital product advertising in the U.S., according to CNBC.

Health officials on Sept. 24 declared a public health emergency in Massachusetts amid reports of dozens of vaping-related illnesses in the state, according to ABC affiliate WCVB.

In the last decade, the United States has halted or reversed progress on reducing racial/ethnic disparities in mortality rates for most age groups, according to a study published Sept. 24 in American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 

As a father and healthcare executive for 35 years, I am alarmed by the vaping epidemic on many fronts: more than 500 severe lung illnesses in 38 states; several deaths possibly linked to vaping; an epidemic of adolescents using e-cigarettes; and the unnerving reality that even our leading health experts can't fully explain the scope or cause of this threat.

Healthcare organizations must rethink how they are approaching social determinants of health to see significant improvements in disease burden and health costs, according to a new report from PwC Health Research Institute.

The FDA released a set of newly proposed guidelines that e-cigarette makers must meet to sell their products, according to STAT.