Milwaukee warns people to stop vaping 'immediately' as health officials investigate outbreak of severe lung illnesses after one death and nearly 200 hospitalizations are linked to e-cigarettes

Milwaukee has warned people to stop vaping 'immediately' amid an outbreak of severe lung illnesses as health officials across the U.S. rush to investigate at least one death and nearly 200 hospitalizations that have been linked to e-cigarette usage.

The health alert issued in Milwaukee on Wednesday comes after 16 people in the city were hospitalized with severe lung illnesses this month.

Those who were hospitalized, including both adults and teenagers, all said they had smoked e-cigarettes or vaped marijuana oils and extracts in the weeks or months prior.

They were suffering from a range of lung related illnesses, including severe chemical pneumonia, and had reported difficultly breathing and chest pains before being hospitalized.