How A Slug In A Salad Led One Patient On A Confusing Quest For Rat Lungworm Treatment - Honolulu Civil Beat
How A Slug In A Salad Led One Patient On A Confusing Quest For Rat Lungworm Treatment
Patients of the disease called angiostrongyliasis must confront conflicting clinical guidance and a medication price tag, in Alyx Barnett’s case, of $8,599.99
Reading time: 10 minutes.
At 38 weeks pregnant, Hawaii island resident Alyx Barnett’s heart dropped in mid-March when she realized she had bit into a tiny leopard slug that was tucked into a piece of her kale salad.
Barnett considers herself lucky that she is aware of rat lungworm disease, how it’s carried by slugs that feast on vegetables and the risks she faced if exposed. But she didn’t realize what lengths she would have to go to to get medical help or cover the cost of a prescription.