Three visitors from the island of Hawaii confirmed having contracted lungworm disease in rats

The state health department has received confirmation from US centers for disease control and prevention of three unrelated cases of rat lungworm disease diagnosed among visitors to Hawaii Island.

All three were adults from the American continent visiting Hawaii by last year, when they were infected with the parasitic roundworm causing rat lungworm disease. The disease can have debilitating effects on the brain and spinal cord of an infected person.

One of the people went to East Hawaii in December 2018 and was infected after eating a slug at a challenge. The other two traveled to the west of the island of Hawaii and the exact source of their infections remains unknown, but one consumed homemade salads and the other ate unwashed fruits and vegetables.

In chronological order:

>> The first person became ill after eating a slug in Hawaii at the end of December, but was not hospitalized for his symptoms. This individual was the eighth infected person on the island of Hawaii to have tested positive for rat lungworm in 2018, bringing the total to 10 confirmed cases last year.

>> The second person became ill in early January of this year, and an investigation failed to determine how she was infected. However, the individual remembers having eaten many homemade salads during his vacation.

>> The third individual became ill at the end of February this year and was hospitalized for a short time. The survey was not able to identify an exact source of infection, but the individual was probably infected while "grazing" or eating fruits, vegetables and other raw plants unwashed directly from the ground.

This brings to five the total number of confirmed cases at the state level this year, all of which were contracted on the island of Hawaii.

"It is important to ensure that our visitors are aware of the precautions that must be taken to prevent rat lungworm disease, which can have serious long-term effects," said Bruce Anderson, Director of Health. in a press release. "Informing visitors about the disease is as important as educating our residents."

Although the state health department provides information about the rat lung worm on posters at airports and local shopping malls, Anderson acknowledged that there is still much to be done.

"We recognize that much remains to be done to educate residents and visitors and to ensure that they know how to prevent the spread of this disease," he said.

The state recommends the following to prevent rat lungworm disease:

>> Wash all fruits and vegetables with running water to eliminate slugs and snails. Pay special attention to leafy vegetables.

>> Control snail, slug and rat populations around homes, gardens and farms by cleaning debris where they could live and using traps and bait.

>> Always wear safety gloves when working outdoors.

>> Inspect, wash and store products in sealed containers, whether from a local retailer, farmer's market, or garden.

Further information on the prevention of rat lungworm disease is available from the State Department of Health and the State Department of Agriculture.