Thanks for the well written article . I’ll be Sharing on a few tourism related websites.
I have NO faith in Hawaii dept of health to respond appropriately. The success with dengue was in spite of a delayed response.

Rat Lungworm Awareness

Rat lungworm disease, a brain-invading parasite that humans contract through slugs and snails, has been making national and international news lately as a number of recent cases have been reported in Hawaii. Some of the news articles carry a tone as if rat lungworm is a new thing to Hawaii; like it snuck up on us and caught everyone here by surprise.

 It may be new to Maui, but it has been here on the Big Island since around 2004, mostly in the island’s southeastern district of Puna. Here in Puna, everyone seems to know someone who has suffered from rat lungworm disease. It’s been on a lot of our minds for years. Now, it’s spreading and cases of infections are increasing.

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There is much criticism that the Hawaii State Department of Health has not been doing an effective job of educating people (especially tourists) about risks of rat lungworm disease…

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