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quote:
Originally posted by gypsy69
P.S. With parasites like these around It may be time to end the water catchment era here in Puna. COUNTY? jmo
Sure, encourage the government to outlaw water catchment. That will make you real popular in Puna. Sometimes Gypper, I wonder if you proof read your drivel. Do not dream that outlawing catchment will voila - create county water hookups at every home overnight. People will be forced to go to the spigots with their buckets. Not a fun prospect when you are used to catchment!
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What does water catchment have to do with rat lungworm? There is very little overlap.
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Aloha MarkP. Unfortunately, there is overlap.. Although we have no intention of giving up our catchment tanks, we do take some precautions. Slugs like water and sometimes fall into the water tanks, or get in through the intake. We use a stocking to strain the water as it enters the tank and I have found slugs in it. We add bleach regularly .So far, so good.
We have also seen slugs WAY up Mulberry and Papaya trees. We wash everything from the yard including citrus and bananas.
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I know all that but I still think there is very little overlap. In theory a 5 micron filter will remove them.
ETA: If one does not employ the measures to protect one's water supply from rat lungworm then one is also not protecting against leptospirosis and other biological contaminants. I think lepto is harder to protect against than RLW (in a water supply). I also think that while there is no shortage of anecdotal evidence about how people got RLW from handling a slug or stepping in slime, the medical community does not wholeheartedly back this up. They have to say "don't touch slime" because the worms have been detected in the slime but all the nightmare cases seem linked to actual ingestion of snails or slugs on produce. There is enough to be concerned about WRT RLW without exaggerating anything. Unfortunately humans seem hard-wired to exaggerate things. This must actively be guarded against.
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A poster here a few years ago did quite a bit of studying about rat lungworm. I think his name was AlaskaSteven or something like that.
Puna: Our roosters crow first
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Hey Gypsy,
Three of our friends in Puna have all contracted Rat Lung by ingesting fresh produce that wasn't effectively washed. I guess these days that means soaking in water with diluted food grade Hydrogen Peroxide. Word is folks in South East Asia have been dealing with this for long time and because there is very little any government (or anyone else) can do about the spread of it, most people in SEA just gave up the entitlement of eating fresh produce and only consume cooked vegetables, peeled fruit etc... After witnessing the effects first hand with close friends, in our minds it just ain't worth it so we are following the SEA protocol. Sad. Times are changing for sure. Hotter climate. Got truly ill on the mainland from fresh lettuce more than once myself.
If you can't give up salad try grow your own in a sealed greenhouse... put copper flashing barrier at the base of raised garden beds or PVC hydroponic structure as slugs will not cross. Adding a UV filtration system on catchment highly recommended even if you don't drink that water, can get sick from brushing teeth w/ dirty water. Don't catch this disease. It does not go away. It is horrible. My friends suffer nerve pain, massive memory loss, GI tract issues. A great antibacterial is Wild Oregano Oil. Has helped with chronic Lepto symptoms (which presents much like Lymes), Periodontal issues, Flu's....think it might be a helpful preventative if you suspect you've come in contact and caught it in time, kind of like an antibiotic prophylactic they give to people who get bulls eye tick bites. Good luck, be safe. Soak fruit in H202 as well. Bird borne illness' on the rise as well. Can't take anything for granted anymore. Good health is truly the most important wealth.
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There's a group here working on developing a blood test for the disease. About a year and a half ago, they took samples from I think about 400 punatics, and are analyzing the results. Since they don't have much funding, progress is slow.
There are several threads on this disease, do a little searching to learn more.
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Since they don't have much funding, progress is slow.
Oahu will eventually have a rail system, though. Isn't that more important than public health?
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Certainly more important than public health in Puna.
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Kind of like this:
http://www.westhawaiitoday.com/news/loca...s-hawaiian
Control the mosquitos affecting endangered native birds: $100K funding.
Control the mosquitos that transmit dengue and zika to humans: $0. (also, "Fight the Bite".)
