Hawai'i journal of medicine & public health : a journal of Asia Pacific Medicine & Public Health
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Hawaii J Med Public Health · Jun 2013
Angiostrongylus cantonensis and rat lungworm disease in Brazil.
The metastrongyloid nematode genus Angiostrongylus includes 18 species, two of which are relevant from a medical standpoint, Angiostrongylus costaricensis and Angiostrongylus cantonensis. The first was described from Costa Rica in 1971 and causes abdominal angiostrongyliasis in the Americas, including in Brazil. Angiostrongylus cantonensis, first described in 1935 from Canton, China, is the causative agent of eosinophilic meningitis. ⋯ In Brazil seven human cases have been reported since 2007 from the southeastern and northeastern regions. Epidemiological studies found infected specimens of Rattus norvegicus and Rattus rattus as well as many species of molluscs, including the giant African land snail, Achatina fulica, from various regions of Brazil. The spread of angiostrongyliasis is currently a matter of concern in Brazil.
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Hawaii J Med Public Health · Jun 2013
Biology, systematics, life cycle, and distribution of Angiostrongylus cantonensis, the cause of rat lungworm disease.
Angiostrongylus cantonensis is a metastrongyloid nematode in the family Angiostrongylidae. It is the cause of angiostrongyliasis (rat lungworm disease), which manifests as eosinophilic meningitis. First described in 1935 from rats in China, A. cantonensis was placed in the genus Parastrongylus in 1986, but most workers have not adopted this treatment. ⋯ The natural life cycle involves rats as the definitive host and snails or slugs as the intermediate host. Human infection, as accidental hosts, results in worms maturing in the brain, but dying there instead of moving back into the bloodstream, as in rats, thereby leading to eosinophilic meningitis. The disease is an emerging infectious disease; Angiostrongylus cantonensis continues to be reported in new regions beyond its native range.
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Hawaii J Med Public Health · Mar 2013
Practice GuidelineThe Childhood Obesity Prevention Task Force (ACT 269): recommendations for obesity prevention in Hawai'i.
Obesity in both adults and children is a critical issue in Hawai'i, as well as nationally and internationally. Today in Hawai'i, 57 percent of adults are overweight or obese as are almost 1 in 3 children entering kindergarten. Each year, obesity costs Hawai'i more than $470 million in medical expenditures alone.(1) These staggering human and economic costs underscore the serious need for Hawai'i to address obesity now. ⋯ The task force was charged with developing policy recommendations and proposed legislation for the 2013 legislature. The task force ultimately identified eleven recommendations for the 2013 legislative session and one recommendation for the 2014 legislative session. When implemented together, these recommendations could profoundly reshape Hawai'i's school, work, community, and health care environments, making healthier lifestyles obtainable for all Hawai'i residents.
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Hawaii J Med Public Health · Sep 2012
Perspectives of Chuukese patients and their health care providers on the use of different sources of interpreters.
Immigrants from Chuuk, a Pacific Island nation in Micronesia, are a growing population of limited-English speakers in Hawai'i. The purpose of this study was to examine the perspectives of Chuukese patients and their physicians in Honolulu, Hawai'i on interpreter services. ⋯ The preference of Chuukese patients for using a family member or friend as interpreter differs from national standards which promote the use of a professional interpreter. Given the preference of both physicians and Chuukese patients for in-person interpreters over telephone interpreters, there is a need for increased training and hiring of in-person interpreters.