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butthurt writes:

Rat lungworm is an illness caused by the presence of the nematode Angiostrongylus cantonensis in the central nervous system. It is contracted by ingesting insufficiently cooked slugs, snails, or their mucus.

KHON-TV reports that in the U.S. state of Hawai'i, there is an unusual number of new cases of the disease that are associated with the island of Maui. Previously, its incidence in the state had been largely confined to Hawai'i Island, the chain's main or "Big" island.

The Department of Health says so far there are nine confirmed cases of the disease. Four are Maui residents, two are visitors who contracted it on Maui, and three live on Hawaii Island.

State officials are also looking into three possible cases on Maui, and one on Hawaii Island.

An earlier story by the Associated Press via the Chicago Tribune said that

Maui health officials said six cases of rat lungworm disease have been reported on the island over the past three months, while the island has seen only two cases of the disease in the past decade.

[...] State epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Park said there is an average of about 10 rat lungworm cases each year statewide and that the recent spike is concerning. A vast majority of Hawaii's cases are reported on the Big Island.

According to The Atlantic:

Rat lungworm has long been prevalent in parts of Asia and the Caribbean [...] but only recently has it been identified routinely in the United States, including in Hawaii, California, Alabama, Louisiana, Florida, and elsewhere along the Gulf Coast.

[...] One particularly concerning development was the emergence of rat lungworms in Oklahoma, "an area predicted to lack suitable habitat for the parasite[.]"

[...] There's no treatment for the disease [...]. Rat lungworm disease can resolve on its own, once the worms die, but in some cases it is fatal.

Further information:
Hawai'i State Department of Health (PDF; includes tips for avoiding infection)
CDC

Additional coverage:

• CNN
• Maui News (editorial)

Original Submission

1. "butthurt" - https://soylentnews.org/~butthurt/
2. "Rat lungworm" - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rat_lungworm
3. "KHON-TV reports" - http://khon2.com/2017/04/10/state-confirms-9-rat-lungworm-cases-researchers-seek-funding-to-combat-epidemic/
4. "the island of Maui." - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maui
5. "Hawai'i Island, the chain's main or "Big" island." - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawai'i_island
6. "the Associated Press via the Chicago Tribune said" - http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/health/ct-brain-invading-parasite-hawaii-20170410-story.html
7. "According to The Atlantic" - https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/04/when-globalization-brings-brain-invading-worms/522153/
8. "Hawai'i State Department of Health" - https://health.hawaii.gov/docd/files/2017/03/rat-lungworm-flier.pdf
9. "CDC" - https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/angiostrongylus/diagnosis.html
10. "CNN" - http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/10/health/hawaii-rat-lungworm-disease-parasite/index.html
11. "Maui News" - http://www.mauinews.com/opinion/columns/2017/04/ask-the-mayor-26/
12. "Original Submission" - https://soylentnews.org/submit.pl?op=viewsub&subid=19598

printed from SoylentNews, Outbreak of Rat Lungworm on Maui on 2024-04-29 11:38:05