Vegetable Safety and Rat Lung Worm Disease, ירקות בטיחות ריאות חולדה מחלת תולעת

I hope you have had a wonderful kosher Pesach.

I just received this news about a possible epidemic infecting parts of Australia, and has also caused concern in Hawaii.

It's a parasitic infection that can be transmitted through vegetables that have been contaminated by infected slugs and snails with a parasite called rat lung worm. The parasite grew inside a rat's lung and discarded through its droppings which are then consumed by snails and slugs, which are consumed by rats, a horrible eco-cycle. Apparently, this problem has caused much concern in Australia and has infected babies and teenagers, two of them being interviewed in this Australian program below.  Warning:  NOT FOR THE FAINT-HEARTED. 



In Hawaii, a Minnesotan traveler too was infected by the disease.

The parasites which end up in a human body, travel to the brain and bore holes inside the brain but could not escape.  They do not live long inside the brain, but the damage caused by the boring causes an infection inside the brain and affects the normal functioning of the human brain -- paralysis, disability, and some cases may be fatal.  There is no vaccine and no preventative treatment.

It is vital to check your vegetables or to make sure they are grown in a safe environment.  Hashem Yerachem. Here is an educational video about the disease taped in Hawaii, which claims many cases of this disease.

Melanoma, Skin Cancer in Teenagers, מלנומה, סרטן העור בקרב בני נוער

Melanoma, Wikipedia.org

I received this in my mailing list, thought I'd pass it along. It's health information for teenagers.

I have a friend from Arizona who just made aliyah. He is about 27 years old. Since he got kupat cholim, he decided to go for a check up. The family doctor gave him a once over for any skin problems and saw a large mole on his shoulder with black spots. She sent him to a skin doc who did an immediate biopsy. The answer came back: Melanoma!

The area was removed, about the width of a baseball, and my friend will be going
back every 3 months for check ups. When he walked out of the office all the other skin doctors came over to shake his hand and wish him a Mazel Tov.

According to his doctor, if he hadn't found it and had it removed so early, he'd
be dead within the year. So much for growing up under the sun. He has told his family of sunbathers to change their life style pronto!

For a true scare, see:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4jgUcxMezM

-- Shoshana Lepon