Rat Lungworm is a tropical disease. It would be killed off by cold temps on the mainland.
Increased use of manure and no use of pesticides both increase the chance for this and other diseases to be spread. Add in “Raw Foodism” which is the latest fad in Puna, and the increase in exposure, combined with a semi-religious outlook, really make for trouble.
Some people falsely believed that organic = safe and raw = safe. All of these beliefs make people more suceptible to not take the necessary precautions such as thorough washing. But because the nematode/worm is so small, even a very well-washed veggie may remain contaminated.
thanks
According to a previous article, the two people hospitalized in late December used a peroxide wash on the infested peppers that they ate. The wash didn't penetrate the cracks, creases, and crevices the culprits were in.
This is, as you say, tropical, and endemic to this part of Hawaii.
OTOH, almost all other areas, even mainland US have their own little known nasties that "normal farming practices" and "safe food preparation. storage practices" keep in check, or even effectively eradicate from the food supply; ..."tricky noses", trichinae worms in pork, comes rapidly to mind...but still waiting isolated disease vector reservoirs to make a comeback into human hosts given, half a chance.
Speaking of which, for the FReeper hunters (me included) on here, there is this:
Freezing wild game meats, unlike freezing pork products, even for long periods of time, may not effectively kill all (trichinae) worms. This is because the species of trichinella that typically infects wild game is more resistant to freezing than the species that infects pigs.