U.S. vaping-related deaths rise to 34

Fewer reports of vaping illnesses are coming in, butU.S. health officials say they are not sure what to make of it.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 125 additional cases were reported in the last week, bringing the total to 1,604 in this year's outbreak. That includes 34 deaths, one more than last week.

The outbreak is still happening, but the count of new cases has dropped for three straight weeks. A CDC spokeswoman said reporting delays could be one explanation.

The CDC reported the numbers Thursday.

The U.S. outbreak appears to have started in March.

In Canada, as of Oct. 17, there are five confirmed or probable cases of severe lung illness related to vaping:twoconfirmed cases in Quebec, two probable in New Brunswick and one probablein British Columbia.

No single ingredient, electronic cigarette or vaping device has been linked to all the illnesses in the U.S. The cause or causes of the illness may not be the sameacross the country.

Most who got sick in the U.S. said they vaped products containing tetrahydrocannabinolor THC, the high-inducing ingredient in marijuana.