 (CNN) A fourth death in central Illinois has been connected to synthetic cannabinoid use, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported Tuesday. Since March 7, synthetic cannabinoids have sickened 153 people and been blamed in four deaths: a woman in her 30s, a man in his 40s and two men in their 20s. According to the Chicago Tribune, 
 
 “Consumption of synthetic cannabinoids previously has caused serious health problems such as seizures and kidney failure, but the side effect of severe bleeding is tied to the recent outbreak, said Dr. Patrick Lank, a medical toxicologist who works at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.” The article goes on to reveal “three of the hospitalized people tested positive for brodifacoum, more commonly known as rat poison.” 
 
 You may be familiar with the drug coumadin - a blood thinning medication used to treat clots and prevent stroke - whose generic name is warfarin. In a rapid series of progressively escalating press releases by the Illinois Department of Public Health, it appears that a dangerous synthetic cannabinoid product called K2, spice, synthetic marijuana, legal weed or fake weed has now claimed its latest victim in an outbreak currently totaling 38 people whose severe bleeding is linked to exposure of this substance. JUST WATCHED Police: Spike in synthetic marijuana overdoses in 2015 Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Police: Spike in synthetic marijuana overdoses in 2015 02:13 
 
 Synthetic cannabinoids are human-made chemicals that can be sprinkled on dried, shredded plant material and smoked or consumed as vaporized liquids inhaled through an e-cigarette or other device. Often pitched as being able to mimic the effects of cannabis because the chemical makeup is similar to those in the marijuana plant, the marketing of synthetic cannabinoids as synthetic “pot” can be deceptive and untrue. Over recent days, the toll of those harmed continues to increase with all being hospitalized for spontaneous excessive bleeding, including but not limited to coughing up blood, urinating blood, bloody stools, bleeding from the eyes, ears, nose and gums. It was determined that they were suffering from a chemical found in rat poison called brodifacoum, which prevents blood from clotting. If you have used any of these products, and start experiencing severe, unexplained bleeding or bruising, please have someone take you to the hospital immediately or call 911. To treat the bleeding, doctors use high doses of vitamin K, up to 30 tablets a day for up to six months, which can help restore the blood's ability to clot. On Monday, officials announced a donation of nearly 800,000 vitamin K tablets by the Bausch Foundation, a philanthropic arm of Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. in Laval, Quebec.
– Another person in Illinois has died after using synthetic marijuana, reports the Chicago Tribune. The central Illinois woman, who was in her 30s, is the fourth person to die in the state after apparent use of the tainted substance. She's the third central Illinois victim; the fourth was from Chicago. In the last few weeks, more than 150 people across 13 counties have been hospitalized after using synthetic pot laced with what health officials believe to be a type of a rat poison known as brodifacoum, a powerful anti-coagulant. A widely used pesticide, when ingested by humans brodifacoum can cause bleeding from the nose or gums, as well as internal bleeding. Symptoms include coughing up blood and bloody urine, health officials say, and brodifacoum poisoning can be treated with vitamin K administered via IV to stabilize the blood’s clotting ability. The treatment is effective if initiated before excessive bleeding occurs, per the American Council on Science and Health. CNN reports health officials urge anyone who has a reaction to synthetic marijuana to call 911 or go to an emergency room.