"I personally have half a dozen friends that have been seriously impacted by this disease and that's one of the reasons that it's so important to me," said state Sen. Russell Ruderman (D - Puna, Kau). "If you get a bad case of rat lungworm, it affects the rest of your life."



The DOH has spent about $600,000 of the $1 million that it received from lawmakers last year on outreach and education efforts. Two patient support groups at the Hilo Medical Center are also getting funding. In addition, the department set aside $250,000 for a statewide survey to determine who's at the most risk.



"This will be a population survey asking people about their dietary habits, their outdoor activities, the use of catchment water, things like that," explained DOH director Dr. Virginia Pressler.



There were 18 confirmed cases in Hawaii in 2017, according to the state. So far this year, 3 people have been diagnosed with the illness.