Contracted Angiostrongyliasis After Eating Raw Foods Like Sushi
No Specific Treatment... Prevention Through Handwashing Is Essential
A woman who spent a dreamlike vacation in Hawaii and other places for three weeks contracted a parasitic infection disease after unknowingly eating certain foods at her travel destination.
According to foreign media reports including the New York Post on the 23rd, a 30-year-old woman, Ms. A, who traveled to Thailand, Japan, and Hawaii for three weeks, was diagnosed with angiostrongyliasis, a parasitic infection disease that causes inflammation in the brain and spinal cord.
During her trip, she reportedly enjoyed swimming in the ocean in Hawaii and frequently ate raw foods such as sushi and salads. After finishing her vacation and returning home, Ms. A felt unusual fatigue but attributed it to jet lag and dismissed it lightly.
However, Ms. A’s symptoms worsened over time. She experienced a burning sensation starting from her feet up to her legs and visited a hospital but initially received no diagnosis. Eventually, after suffering from burning pain all over her body and severe headaches, she underwent a parasitic infection test and was diagnosed with angiostrongyliasis.
Also known as "rat lungworm," this infection primarily uses rats as its main host. However, it is known to be transmitted when consuming undercooked freshwater shellfish such as clams, intermediate or transport hosts of the parasite like freshwater snails, or other carriers such as crabs, shrimp, and frogs. Rarely, infection can occur by eating vegetables contaminated with larvae or drinking contaminated water. This infection is common in Southeast Asia, islands in the South Pacific, and Hawaii.
Early symptoms of this infection include nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain, and it may also cause headaches, fever, muscle pain, fatigue, insomnia, and neurological symptoms. It can be accompanied by neck stiffness and pain, tingling or burning sensations on the skin, double vision, difficulty urinating or defecating, and seizures. In children, symptoms include fever along with gastrointestinal pain, muscle spasms, convulsions, limb weakness, and lethargy. There is no specific treatment for this infection, and Ms. A was discharged after receiving steroid treatment for six days.
Meanwhile, the Hawaii tourism news outlet "Beat of Hawaii" reported, "There was a recent article about a tourist who contracted rat lungworm while traveling in Hawaii," but added, "The likelihood of contracting this disease is very low, and there are preventive measures such as washing hands thoroughly, so there is no need to worry."
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