Howe Kathleen, Bach Jenny, DeCoito Myles, Frias Shari, Hatch Rebecca, Jarvi Susan
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy, University of Hawai'i, Hilo, HI, United States.
Hawai'i Department of Education, Laupahoehoe Public Charter School, Laupahoehoe, HI, United States.
Front Public Health. 2018 Jul 24;6:203. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2018.00203. eCollection 2018.
A recent increase in serious cases of rat lungworm disease impacts Hawai'i's agriculture and human health. Slugs and snails, agricultural pests, are intermediate hosts of the rat lungworm. Infection by this parasitic nematode is the leading cause of eosinophilic meningitis globally. Infection can result from ingestion of infected produce and has caused chronic neurological problems, disability, coma, and death. There are over 200 K-12 school and youth garden, and agriculture projects throughout the Hawaiian Islands. This existing network provides an avenue for teacher and student involvement in community health education and host control programs. We collaborated with five Hawai'i Island schools connected with the Hawai'i Island School Garden Network to develop an integrated pest management plan for the control of invasive, intermediate hosts of . Curricula relating to rat lungworm for grades 5-8 that support student academic achievement with a focus on science, technology, engineering, art, and math were developed. The management plan trialed the use of five different materials for shelters, which provided refuge for and easy removal of unwanted slugs and snails. Over 4,000 invasive slugs and snails were removed. Students learned how to safely dispatch pests and they collected data on species found, numbers of species removed, and shelter-type capture rates. Using the arts, students shared information at school and within their family and community. A written management plan, eleven lesson plans, and auxiliary materials are now available online. A concerted effort is needed to reduce parasite hosts if we are to reduce human cases of disease and restore public faith in local agriculture. Use of the established school garden network is an ideal avenue through which to educate the public and develop solutions for this public health problem.
近期，严重的鼠肺线虫病病例增多，对夏威夷的农业和人类健康造成影响。蛞蝓和蜗牛作为农业害虫，是鼠肺线虫的中间宿主。这种寄生线虫感染是全球嗜酸性粒细胞性脑膜炎的主要病因。食用受感染的农产品可能导致感染，并引发慢性神经问题、残疾、昏迷甚至死亡。夏威夷群岛各地有200多个从幼儿园到12年级的学校以及青少年花园和农业项目。这个现有的网络为教师和学生参与社区健康教育及宿主控制项目提供了一条途径。我们与五所与夏威夷岛学校花园网络相关的夏威夷岛学校合作，制定了一项综合虫害管理计划，以控制鼠肺线虫的入侵性中间宿主。开发了针对5至8年级学生的与鼠肺线虫相关的课程，该课程以科学、技术、工程、艺术和数学为重点，支持学生的学业成就。管理计划试用了五种不同的材料作为庇护所，这些庇护所既能为不需要的蛞蝓和蜗牛提供藏身之处，又便于将它们清除。共清除了4000多只入侵性蛞蝓和蜗牛。学生们学会了如何安全地消灭害虫，并收集了有关发现的物种、清除的物种数量以及庇护所类型捕获率的数据。学生们通过艺术形式，在学校、家庭和社区内分享信息。现在，一份书面管理计划、十一份教案和辅助材料均可在线获取。如果我们要减少人类疾病病例并恢复公众对当地农业的信心，就需要共同努力减少寄生虫宿主。利用现有的学校花园网络是教育公众并为这个公共卫生问题制定解决方案的理想途径。
