Rat Lung BIll SB 272 Needs support

[randomq]

Obie, I wasn't aware county water was available in Hawaiian Acres, where do I sign up and what's the "cheaper than catchment" cost?

[kalakoa]

wasn't aware county water was available in Hawaiian Acres

Yes. They're running water lines every time they pave a new road, saves work that way.

[djs]

FYI bananahead, rat lungworm has killed on the Big Island. A friend of ours died from it 2 years ago.

[Eric1600]

I think people here are missing the point.

* They don't know how it spreads (catchment? Food? All speculation at this point)
* They don't have a good test for it, it requires minor surgery (spinal tap)
* The total number of cases goes underreported partly due to difficulty and expense of diagnosis
* Serious cases have resulted in death, permanent disability, and loss of income and quality of life
* Without funding we won't really know how to prevent it or test for it. Saying bull**** like "it's all on you" is meaningless.

This is FUNDING to look into solving these problems and understanding it. Leptospirosis is a side issue and is well understood.

quote:

---

RLWD cases in Hawai‘i since 2004 have resulted in permanent disability, coma, and death. In a 50 month study period (January 2001–February 2005) 24 of 84 cases of eosinophilic meningitis were attributed to infection by Angiostrongylus cantonensis. Cases occurred primarily in two clusters: November 2004 – January 2005 and December 2008 – February 2009. An informal report sent to the College of Pharmacy, University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, from the State of Hawai‘i Department of Health (November 2011) reported 35 documented cases of RLWD in Hawai‘i since January 2001. Because diagnosis is difficult, especially in mild cases, case numbers may well be higher. The case described in this paper was one of two, non-connected cases of RLWD that resulted in coma around the same time (December 2008/January 2009). Both victims were initially diagnosed with flu and not admitted to the Hilo Medical Center even after multiple visits to the emergency room. When finally admitted, doctors at the center were unfamiliar with the disease and appropriate treatment.
...
Early treatment could be a significant factor in improved recovery, making the awareness of this disease and its treatment important in Hawai‘i. The need for studies on long-term recovery is equally important, for, while most victims have not succumbed to the disease, neither have those most seriously affected recovered fully. Pain medication is usually prescribed for the ongoing symptoms many victims suffer, and many of these have permanent disabilities. No studies have been done in Hawai‘i on long-term recovery from RLWD.

---

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3689490/


So....try to submit your testimony early today. You can do so on Hawaii State Legislature's website (https://goo.gl/Byur2w) or email representative Sylvia Luke at repluke@capitol.hawaii.gov

[kalakoa]

bull**** like "it's all on you" is meaningless

Unfortunate reality: without funding, this is what we have.

Consider the track record: LFA, dengue, coqui, ROD. "Fight the bite" and "don't transport ohia" both sound an awful lot like "it's all on you"...

[Eric1600]

Kalakoa, the difference is we don't have enough information to do anything about RLWD. And "fight the bite" has been proven to work in other countries. ROD is still under study but the two fungi are entirely new species unseen anywhere else. LFA and coquis were not stopped soon enough so they are here to stay.

[kalakoa]

LFA and coquis were not stopped soon enough

Track record...

[MarkP]

Bananahead has a point. Leptospirosis sounds almost nice while Rat Lungworm... no need to say more. Meanwhile, not to discount the threat or the fact that it is growing, the attention given to RLW is out of proportion to the actual impact. The whole bit about RLW in catchment water is a red herring if you are not making an equally big stink about Lepto and all the other possible water-borne contaminants. Basically if you are already treating your water properly for the other stuff you don't have much to worry about from RLW via water. If you are not properly treating your water then yes you have numerous things to worry about. At that point we can discuss the relative risks and challenges posed by RLW. During that discussion the risk of RLW's horrible symptoms would be balanced against the relative ease with which the water supply can be guarded against it.

But if you are not treating and filtering your water in the first place, why complain?

[Eric1600]

Why complain? Simply because they don't know how it spreads or how to stop it from spreading. Everyone posting here about "what you should do" is just speculating, because it is unknown how it spreads and what works to stop it. It is also unknown on how many people have been infected or what the long term damages are from this parasite. I am continually amazed at the things people argue over on this forum.

[randomq]

An early, non-surgical test would be worth our tax dollars. And a great contribution from our state to the world.