DOH Confirms Big Island’s Third Case Of Rat Lungworm In 2019
An east Hawaii Island resident may have contracted the disease in early February. The exact source of the disease could not be identified.
The Hawaii Department of Health has confirmed the third case of rat lungworm disease contracted in 2019 on Hawaii Island.
The individual who tested positive for rat lungworm is a resident of East Hawaii, according to a press release from DOH on Thursday.
Lab testing by DOH confirmed the infection in mid-April, although the person may have been infected as early as February.聽 The individual was hospitalized, and the exact source of infection could not be identified, DOH said
鈥淒iagnosis and treatment of this disease is incredibly difficult, especially since there is still much we don鈥檛 know about the parasite and the disease,鈥 said Health Director Bruce Anderson in the press release.
鈥淭he Governor鈥檚 Joint Task Force on Rat Lungworm Disease has done extensive work to develop preliminary clinical guidance for local physicians who may encounter patients with the disease and physician trainings will continue this year. That work, along with immediate reporting by physicians is critical to facilitate prompt, accurate diagnosis and appropriate patient management.鈥
Rat lungworm disease is caused by a parasitic worm called聽, which reproduces itself in the lungs of rats. The larvae is released in rat feces, gets passed on to carriers such as slugs and snails, as well as freshwater shrimp, land crabs and frogs.聽Humans, in turn, can contract the disease by eating contaminated produce 鈥 or ingesting the carriers themselves.
The disease attacks the brain and the spinal cord, causing eosinophilic meningitis and often leaving the victims with long-lasting effects
DOH reported that there were a total of 9聽laboratory-confirmed cases in Hawaii in 2018 and 19 laboratory-confirmed cases in 2017.
