Couple On Hawaii Honeymoon Fall Victim To Brain-Infecting Parasite
MAUI, Hawaii (AP) -- Two newlyweds from California are among the latest victims of the rat lungworm disease that is affecting Hawaii.
KGMB-TV reports Ben Manilla and his wife Eliza Lape contracted the disease during their two-week honeymoon in Maui early this year.
The disease is a condition in which parasitic worm larvae infect people's brains. It can be life threatening.
Lape says she started experiencing symptoms after the couple returned to San Francisco. Manilla's symptoms manifested soon after. Manilla is still in the hospital undergoing intensive rehabilitation. He says he's already had several operations, two pneumonias, a blood clot and kidney complications.
Hawaii Health Department has confirmed six cases of rat lungworm disease tied to Maui this year. There are three other cases on the Big Island. Experts say the problem may be underreported.
Copyright 2017 The Associated Press.