Rat Lungworm parasite Public Health presentation notes 4.22.19 North Kohala Public Library.

Mahalo to Sadie Young for this report……

Rat Lungworm parasite Public Health presentation notes
4.22.19 North Kohala Public Library.
Take action to reduce your risk

Prevention –Don’t transport slugs, snails, etc to district in plants, containers, mulch, etc. Check carefully before bringing items home.

Manage environment- Nighttime gastropod hunts with headlamp, this is when they come out and are most active.

Clean up leaves, mulch, weeds, containers, etc where they may hide. Water garden, etc. in morning, not night when they come out. Don’t leave pet dishes and their water out at night. Ducks, chickens, geese can be helpful.

Barriers-copper bands 2” wide help. Keep clean and shiny. Ash, sharp gravel, crushed eggshells help.

Bait- late afternoon and evening, irrigate and set traps

Traps–slugs hide under a number of items-shade cloth, pots, boards, rocks, citrus peels, containers, etc. Look under and dispose of slugs in the morning.

Slug Jug- Mix 1 to 7 salt to water solution., i. e. ½ c salt to 3 ½ c. water in jugs with small air hole (to avoid slug bomb). Soak slugs for some time. Parasite can live weeks after host dies. Use gloves and long tweezers or tongs designated for slugs/snails. Bury when too funky after weeks.

Remove rat attractants-pick up fruit, prune trees, clean up environment. Get rid of rats.

Points: the more ingested, the worse the illness. Larvae are microscopic, not visible.

Wash veggies and fruits with fresh running, not standing, water to help prevent recontamination.

Semi slugs-70% tested were infested with parasite, (20% of slugs on Kauai-has no semi slugs). 21 of 24 coquis tested positive, all centipedes, some mongoose, 2 of 6 horses, all Waipio horses tested were positive, 50% dogs.
Antibiodies showing up in blood means exposure not necessarily infection.

Water catchment, hoses, cracked pipes anything slugs can climb into increase risk.

Vets are developing a test.
Medication for pets: by Bayer, Moxydectin, Advantage plus heartworm medication.

Learn to recognize the different insect poops.

Going barefoot, cut on hand or body can increase risk factor. All known cases are from ingesting however. Children are at high risk unsupervised in yard, garden.

If consumed, vomit asap. Less than 20 minutes to remove from body before parasite takes hold. If gastropod is seen on veggies to be eaten raw, throw the veggie away. Not worth risk.