North Carolina public schools have added a picture of an electronic cigarette to their "no smoking" signs. 

Public schools in the state are already required to have a sign posted stating they're a tobacco-free zone, but this year a symbol has been added to ban e-cigarette use, also called vaping.

Pitt County Health Department Coordinator Tiffany Thigpen told news outlet WNCT the state received money to add the symbol to the signs ahead of the new school year.

The addition comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigates 94 possible cases of severe lung disease associated with vaping. The cases were reported across 14 states this summer.

Pitt County Public Health Director John Silvernail says three of those cases were reported in North Carolina.

It's expected that all of the new signs will be put up by the time students return to class.

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