Hawaii
Woman, 30, infected by brain worms after trip to Hawaii — the symptoms that sent her to the hospital
A woman who had just returned from a dream vacation ended up with a nightmare condition.
The New England native, 30, had just spent three weeks traveling around Thailand, Japan and Hawaii, where she swam in the ocean and frequently dined on salads and sushi.
When she returned home, she noticed that she felt a little fatigued, which she initially simply blamed on jet lag.
But then her symptoms got worse, and she began experiencing a burning sensation in her feet that traveled up through her legs.
She was hospitalized, but her test results seemed to indicate that she was fine — until she had to go back to the emergency room because the burning sensation had migrated to her arms and was now accompanied by a severe headache.
She was ultimately treated at Massachusetts General Hospital by Dr. Carlos A. Portales Castillo and became a case study in The New England Journal of Medicine.
According to Castillo, the woman’s roommate rushed her to the hospital once more after “she awoke, she thought she needed to pack for vacation and was not redirectable,” continuing to be disoriented for several hours, People reported.
The prognosis? Angiostrongyliasis — a parasitic infection caused by Angiostrongylus species, most commonly Angiostrongylus cantonensis, which is also known as “rat lungworm.”
While rats are the primary hosts of this infection, snails and slugs can act as intermediate hosts, and humans can become infected by consuming them raw or undercooked.
Dr. Joseph Zunt, a neurologist who specializes in infectious diseases, came to this diagnosis after doctors performed a lumbar puncture, also known as a spinal fluid test, and discovered she had eosinophilic meningitis — inflammation of the membranes around the brain and spinal cord.
He also connected the dots after finding out more about her behavior in Hawaii, where the infection is a known issue.
Most of the cases in Hawaii have been on the Big Island, though it’s popped up in the other major islands as well. Though there haven’t been any documented cases yet in 2025, there were eight in 2024 — seven residents and one visitor.
Infection can occur from eating raw or undercooked infected snails or slugs, fruits or veggies that have been contaminated, or an land crabs, freshwater prawns, frogs that have themselves eaten an infected snail. This patient most likely became sick while eating food that was contaminated with snail or slug slime.
Symptoms of rat lungworm often start with nausea, vomiting, and stomach pain, starting hours or days after eating contaminated food, according to Hawaii’s Disease Outbreak Control Division.
Headache, fever, muscle pain, fatigue, insominia, and neurologic symptoms can develop, as can neck stiffness and pain, tingling or burning of the skin, double vision, bowel or bladder difficulties, and seizures.
Children may experience more fever, irritability, somnolence, lethargy, gastrointestinal symptoms, muscle twitching, convulsions, and extremity weakness. In addition, individuals may experience a few days to weeks of no symptoms followed by neurologic symptoms.
Because cases are often misdiagnosed or underreported, it’s difficult to determine precisely how frequently people contract this illness. However, Hawaii typically reports 10-12 cases per year, and it has occurred in other tropical regions, such as Florida and Texas.
There is no specific cure for this infection, so treatment usually focuses on pain management. In this patient’s case, she was treated with the anti-inflammatory steroid prednisone and sent home from the hospital after six days.
In January, a disturbing X-ray of a human body riddled with worms went viral after the patient contracted cysticercosis — which begins with eating undercooked pig but is passed through fecal matter.
Just another good reminder to always wash your hands!
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The Honolulu Fire Department is preparing to open recruitment for new firefighter recruits.
The application period for recruits will open June 2 and run through June 4.
HFD officials are encouraging people interested in public service, emergency response and teamwork to explore a career in the fire service.
Firefighters respond to emergencies across Oahu, including fires, rescues, hazardous materials incidents, crashes and medical calls.
Recruits will receive extensive training, including emergency medical response and search-and-rescue operations.
Interested applicants are encouraged to begin preparing now for the physical and mental demands of the profession.
For more information, visit fire.honolulu.gov.
Copyright 2026 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
Hawaii
Tourist accused of hurling rock at endangered Hawaiian monk seal was trying to protect sea turtles, lawyer says
The defense attorney for a tourist from Washington state accused of hurling a coconut-sized rock at an endangered Hawaiian monk seal says his client was trying to protect sea turtles and has since been physically assaulted, threatened and doxed.
Igor Lytvynchuk, 38, of Covington, Washington, is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Honolulu Wednesday on charges of harassing and attempting to harass a protected animal.
Earlier this month, a witness recorded what prosecutors say was a video of him throwing the rock at a Hawaiian monk seal at a Maui beach. He later made arrangements to surrender in the Seattle area as special agents with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration were seeking to arrest him, prosecutors said.
The video drew widespread condemnation and demands for prosecution in Hawaii, including from Maui’s mayor. Scientists identified the seal as an adult male known as “R404,” NOAA said.
According to prosecutors, a state Department of Land and Natural Resources officer investigated a report of Hawaiian monk seal harassment in Lahaina, the community that was largely destroyed by a deadly wildfire in 2023. A witness showed the officer video of the seal swimming in shallow water while a man watched from shore.
The video showed Lytvynchuk throwing the rock, directly at the seal, narrowly missing its head, prosecutors said in a criminal complaint.
Maui resident Kaylee Schnitzer, 18, told HawaiiNewsNow she witnessed the incident while taking photos nearby.
“What he was picking up was like a rock the size of a coconut,” Schnitzer said. “It wasn’t no small rock. It was the size of a coconut. And he threw it right, directly aiming towards the monk seal’s head.”
When a witness confronted Lytvynchuk, he said “he did not care and was ‘rich’ enough to pay any fines,” according to the complaint.
Afterward, a man “brutally assaulted” Lytvynchuk, his defense attorney Myles Breiner told The Associated Press. Lytvynchuk declined to file a police report on the assault, the attorney said.
Breiner explained his client had been to Hawaii previously and was familiar with sea turtles, but not Hawaiian monk seals. Lytvynchuk is a fisherman and thought the seal was an aggressive sea lion, the lawyer said.
“So his response was not to hurt this monk seal, but to get it away from the turtles,” Breiner said.
The incident shows NOAA must do more to educate the public about protecting Hawaiian monk seals, Hawaii’s U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, a Democrat, said in a statement.
Since the video surfaced, Lytvynchuk has faced death threats and doxing, including receiving a package at his home containing what appeared to be feces, Breiner said.
He said his client is being treated unfairly because he’s a white outsider. “The vast majority of attacks on monk seal and turtle are by locals,” he said.
Lytvynchuk is charged with violations of the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Hawaiian monk seals are a critically endangered species. Only 1,600 remain in the wild.
“The unique and precious wildlife of the Hawaiian Islands are renowned symbols of Hawaii’s special place in the world and its incredible biodiversity,” U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson said in a statement. “We are committed to protecting our vulnerable wild species, in particular, endangered Hawaiian monk seals.”
If convicted, he faces up to one year in prison for each charge. He also faces a fine of up to $50,000 under the Endangered Species Act and a fine of up to $20,000 under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
In 2016, a man was seen on video appearing to beat a pregnant Hawaiian monk seal in shallow water.
Hawaii
‘Tesla Road Rage Driver’ sentenced to seven years in prison after attacking mother and daughter in Hawaii
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A man dubbed the “Tesla Road Rage Driver” was sentenced to seven years in prison in connection with a violent road rage attack in Hawaii.
Nathaniel Radimak was sentenced Thursday in connection with a 2025 attack involving a mother and her 18-year-old daughter in Honolulu.
Radimak, who has prior convictions tied to road rage attacks against motorists, acknowledged his actions during sentencing.
“I take accountability. I just feel bad about it,” Radimak said, according to Hawaii News Now. “It shouldn’t have happened, but I really need a certain kind of treatment that is being prolonged and farther away. It’s not helping me, but I take accountability.”
TESLA ROAD-RAGE DRIVER ALLEGEDLY ASSAULTS TEEN, MOM IN HAWAII MONTHS AFTER PRISON RELEASE
Nathaniel Walter Radimak, 39, was convicted of attacking several female drivers on Southern California roads. (Fox News)
Radimak was charged with one count of unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle and two counts of third-degree assault. He pleaded no contest earlier this year.
Judge Clarissa Malinao said during sentencing that Radimak had failed to seek necessary medical care and continued using illegal substances while on parole for previous convictions.
“His history of violence is propensity for violence, and defendant’s voluntary intoxication and discontinuation of medication increase the risk of his dangerousness to self and to the public,” Malinao said. “These findings also demonstrate and reinforce that the defendant is indeed a danger to the safety of the public.”
WATCH: ROAD RAGE SUSPECT DRAGS MOM OUT OF VEHICLE, BODY-SLAMS HER ON PAVEMENT
Nathaniel Walter Radimak is identified by police as a driver involved in road rage incidents while driving a Tesla in California. (California Highway Patrol)
Radimak, 39, was charged after allegedly assaulting an 18-year-old woman and her 35-year-old mother during an incident on May 7, 2025, according to the Honolulu Police Department.
Police said the teen was parking downtown when she saw a gray Tesla drive past her.
The two allegedly exchanged words before Radimak got out of the vehicle and assaulted both victims before fleeing the scene, police said. Authorities said he was driving a 2022 gray Tesla with Oregon license plates.
MOTORIST ARRESTED AFTER ALLEGEDLY TRYING TO RUN DRIVER OF TESLA OFF THE ROAD AT HIGH SPEEDS: REPORT
Honolulu police arrested Nathaniel Radimak following a reported road rage assault involving a mother and daughter.
Radimak was arrested by Honolulu police the following day.
The arrest came just months after Radimak was released from prison after serving less than a year of a five-year sentence tied to a series of violent road rage attacks in Southern California.
He was sentenced in 2023 after pleading guilty to assault, vandalism, elder abuse and making criminal threats.
Fox News Digital previously reported that Radimak was known for driving a Tesla and using a pipe to attack the vehicles of his victims, including multiple women.
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The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation previously said Radimak received 424 days of credit for time served while awaiting sentencing in the earlier case.
Fox News Digital’s Pilar Arias and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
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