Five-year-old hospitalised after vaping at Geelong school

A five-year-old was taken to hospital vomiting and coughing after he spent a full day unknowingly smoking a nicotine vape at a Geelong primary school.

A five-year-old has been hospitalised after vaping with two seven-year-olds at his Geelong primary school, sparking calls for tighter controls on fruit-flavoured vapes designed to appeal to children.

The boy’s father said his son, who is in prep, had been left with serious ongoing health issues after he unknowingly ingested dangerous chemicals in a nicotine vape three weeks ago.

On Friday, the five-year-old was rushed to Geelong hospital vomiting and coughing. He will undergo an X-ray to discover whether he has developed pneumonia.

The device belonged to the mother of a seven-year-old friend who brought it to school, and it was empty by the end of the school day.

The incident has also led to ­demands for more careful storage of vapes, also known as e-cigarettes.

And Education Minister James Merlino has warned there are “severe repercussions” at every single school if children are caught vaping on campus.

Mr Merlino said he was concerned about reports surrounding the incident and had sought advice from the Department of Education.

“Vaping absolutely concerns me and that is exactly why it is prohibited in our schools,” he told reporters on Wednesday.

“I can tell you that our schools take a firm view on this. It is absolutely the wrong thing to do. It is harmful to children and it is prohibited.

“There are severe repercussions at every single school in Victoria if this occurs, and parents need to support us in this.

“I just want to send a very, very strong message that (vaping) is absolutely not tolerated in our schools.”

Labor MP Libby Coker called for the popular trend to be banned altogether, or for the federal government to further tighten legislation around the selling of vapes in the wake of the incident.

“I have a constituent who is a very distressed father of a five and seven year old who vaped when another seven year old brought a vape to school,” Ms Coker said.

“There should either be a complete ban on advertising vape products, or the strictest possible labelling and advertising laws, as there are for cigarette products, and heavy fines for anyone breaching these laws or importing or selling illegal vape products,” she said.

“It is absolutely disgraceful, and the Australian Government needs to act decisively, not tinker with weak regulations.”

“The vape had no labelling on it, and who knows what was in it. One of the children, who has a predisposition to chest complications, is still coughing a week later.”

Data released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows the use of vapes more than doubled between 2016 and 2019.

Nicotine vapes are only available via prescription, but lolly and fruit-flavoured vapes – many of which covertly contain nicotine – are widely available.

The five-year-old was rushed to Geelong hospital with vomiting and coughing. Picture: Mitch Bear

The Herald Sun revealed last month kids as young as 10 were buying and selling vapes online in schools or from illegal retailers.

A school principal said children also obtained vapes from their parents who used them at home.

The boy’s father, Steven, said his son “had a terrible chesty cough and was struggling to breathe since the incident happened”.

He said that last Friday his son was “gasping and he vomited three times”.

“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,” Steven said.

“The vape was empty by the time we picked them up from school.”

Barwon Health’s emergency department director Dr Belinda Hibble said vapes often came in fruit flavours but many contained high levels of nicotine.

“There is often a misconception that e-cigarettes are safe, which they are not,” she said.

“Exposure to nicotine causes significant harm, particularly for young people.

“This damage will likely be much more severe in younger people, who will likely be exposed to e-cigarettes or nicotine over a longer period.

“E-cigarettes and e-cigarette liquid owned by parents must be stored with other prescription medications and potentially harmful substances.

“These liquids – used to fill e-cigarettes – can be very dangerous if swallowed, inhaled or spilt on the skin.

“Parents should never vape or smoke inside the home, and should have open conversations with their children about the health risks of vaping.”

Data released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows the use of vapes more than doubled between 2016 and 2019.

Originally published as Five-year-old hospitalised after vaping at Geelong school