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| Eric Silberger, who will join soprano Amy Shoremount-Obra for a concert in Pahala this summer, was featured on the Icelandic National News Network Ruv in Iceland for being the first violinist in history to perform inside a volcano. See more below. |
A JOINT TASK FORCE IS ASSESSING the threat of rat lungworm disease in Hawai`i. The task force’s mission is to share scientific knowledge in the application of diagnostics, treatment, mitigation and public education activities. The task force follows the state Legislature killing bills introduced by Ka`u’s state Rep. Richard Creagan and Sen. Russell Ruderman calling for funding to research the disease.
Rat lungworm disease is caused by a nematode, which is a roundworm parasite called Angiostrongylus cantonensis. The parasitic nematode can be passed from the feces of infected rodents to snails, slugs and certain other animals, which become intermediate hosts for the parasite. Humans can become infected when they consume, either intentionally or otherwise, infected raw or undercooked intermediate hosts. |
| Slug love on a Ka`u sidewalk. These slugs can carry rat lungworm disease. Photo by Julia Neal |
Although rat lungworm has been found throughout the state, Hawai`i Island has a majority of the cases. Some infected people don’t show any symptoms or only have mild symptoms. For others, the symptoms can be much more severe, which can include headaches, stiffness of the neck, tingling or painful feelings in the skin or extremities, low-grade fever, nausea and vomiting. Sometimes, a temporary paralysis of the face may also be present, as well as light sensitivity. This infection can also cause a rare type of meningitis (eosinophilic meningitis).
“Establishing a joint task force with local experts in the medical field and leaders in government will produce a set of best practices that be used to target rat lungworm disease not only on Hawai`i Island, but on a statewide scale as well,” said Wil Okabe, East Hawai`i Liaison to the Office of the Governor. “There is no specific treatment yet identified for this disease, so finding the best ways to prevent its spread and educate the public is crucial.”
Members of the task force are Wil Okabe (Facilitator), East Hawaii Governor’s Liaison Office; Robert Cowie, Ph.D., Pacific Biosciences Research Center, University of Hawai`i at Manoa; Robert Hollingsworth, Ph.D., U.S. Department of Agriculture; Sue Jarvi, Ph.D., School of Pharmacy, University of Hawai`i at Hilo; Jerry Kahana, Hawai`i State Department of Agriculture; Kenton Kramer, Ph.D., Department of Tropical Medicine, John A. Burns School of Medicine; John Martell, M.D., Hilo Medical Center; Marian Melish, M.D., Pediatric Infectious Disease, Kapiolani Medical Center; Donn Mende, Research and Development, County of Hawai`i; DeWolfe Miller, Ph.D., Tropical Medicine Microbiology and Pharmacology, JABSOM; Peter Oshiro, Sanitation Branch, DOH; Sarah Park, M.D., F.A.A.P., State Epidemiologist, DOH; Joanna Seto, Save Drinking Water Branch, DOH; Aaron Ueno, Hawai`i District Health Office, DOH; Chris Whelen, Ph.D., State Laboratories Division, DOH; and Jonnie Yates, M.D., Kaiser Permanente
For more information on rat lungworm disease, see http://dlnr.hawaii.gov/hisc/news/rlwd/.
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To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.
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| Unique Hawaiian fishes populate Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. Image from R. Thiel/Marine Biodiversity |
SCIENTISTS DISCOVERED GLOBALLY significant abundances of unique Hawaiian fishes on deep coral reefs in Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument.
The scientific journal Marine Biodiversity recently published a study documenting deep coral reef fish communities composed exclusively of fishes unique to Hawai`i, which represents a globally significant reservoir of biodiversity.
Scientists refer to species with restricted geographic ranges as endemic species. Hawaiian endemics are those species that are only found in Hawai`i and nowhere else.
“This the highest level of endemism recorded from any marine ecosystem on Earth,” said Randall Kosaki, PhD., first author on the study and NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries deputy superintendent for Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. “Hawai`i’s one of the most remote archipelagos on our planet, so we have many, many species here that are not found anywhere else.”
Fish communities referenced in the study were documented at depths of 300 feet at Kure Atoll, the northernmost of the remote, uninhabited Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, part of Papahanaumokuakea. Kure Atoll lies about 1,300 miles northwest of Honolulu.
The discovery was made on a research expedition aboard NOAA Ship Hi`ialakai last fall. Divers using advanced closed-circuit rebreather dive technology conducted dives at depths far beyond the range of most scientific or recreational scuba divers.
Deep coral reefs at depths of 150 to 450 feet, also known as “the coral reef twilight zone,” are among the most poorly explored of all marine ecosystems. Deeper than most scuba divers can venture, and shallower than most submersible-based exploration, these reefs represent a new frontier for coral reef research.
The article, entitled 100 Percent Endemism in Mesophotic Reef Fish Assemblages at Kure Atoll, Hawaiian Islands, can be accessed online at http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12526-016-0510-5.
Scientists refer to species with restricted geographic ranges as endemic species. Hawaiian endemics are those species that are only found in Hawai`i and nowhere else.
“This the highest level of endemism recorded from any marine ecosystem on Earth,” said Randall Kosaki, PhD., first author on the study and NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries deputy superintendent for Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. “Hawai`i’s one of the most remote archipelagos on our planet, so we have many, many species here that are not found anywhere else.”
Fish communities referenced in the study were documented at depths of 300 feet at Kure Atoll, the northernmost of the remote, uninhabited Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, part of Papahanaumokuakea. Kure Atoll lies about 1,300 miles northwest of Honolulu.
The discovery was made on a research expedition aboard NOAA Ship Hi`ialakai last fall. Divers using advanced closed-circuit rebreather dive technology conducted dives at depths far beyond the range of most scientific or recreational scuba divers.
Deep coral reefs at depths of 150 to 450 feet, also known as “the coral reef twilight zone,” are among the most poorly explored of all marine ecosystems. Deeper than most scuba divers can venture, and shallower than most submersible-based exploration, these reefs represent a new frontier for coral reef research.
The article, entitled 100 Percent Endemism in Mesophotic Reef Fish Assemblages at Kure Atoll, Hawaiian Islands, can be accessed online at http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12526-016-0510-5.
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OPERA SINGER AMY SHOREMOUNT-OBRA returns to Pahala Plantation House on Saturday, Aug. 13. The concert, a tribute to the 20th anniversary of the Ka`u Coffee industry, features the soprano, internationally acclaimed violinist Eric Silberger, cellist Daniel Lelchuk and pianist Kwan Yi. It is one in a series in the inaugural year of the Hawai`i International Music Festival, with other performances at Maui Arts & Cultural Center and on O`ahu.
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| Amy Shoremount-Obra |
Shoremount-Obra’s family includes the founders of Rusty’s Hawaiian 100 Percent Ka`u Coffee. She brought operatic music to Pahala in 2009 as a community outreach program for her graduation from The Juilliard School. She brought with her a pianist and tenor. The trio performed humorous operatic music for Ka`u Coffee farmers and other community members at Pahala Plantation House.
Shoremount-Obra made her Metropolitan Opera Debut in October 2014 as First Lady in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, singing all nine performances of the opera, three of which were Sirius XM Satellite broadcasts.
Her recent operatic engagements have included Donna Anna in Don Giovanni with Opera Las Vegas, The Savannah Voice Festival and New York City’s new Venture Opera, Marchesa in Verdi’s Un Giorno di Regno with Odyssey Opera of Boston, Fiordiligi in Cosi fan tutte with Annapolis Opera, and most recently, Leonore in Beethoven’s Fidelio with Grand Harmonie.
Shoremount-Obra has appeared at Carnegie Hall as the soprano soloist in Fauré’s Requiem, Brahms’ Requiem and Schubert’s Mass in G and at David Geffen Hall as the Soprano Soloist in Verdi’s Requiem. She was a National semi-finalist and New York regional winner in the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions and holds degrees from Manhattan School of Music and Juilliard.
Eric Silberger is a winner of the International Tchaikovsky Competition and recently played violin inside a volcano in Iceland. He is excited to visit the volcano here in Ka`u, said Shoremount-Obra.
For more, see himusicfestival.com.
Her recent operatic engagements have included Donna Anna in Don Giovanni with Opera Las Vegas, The Savannah Voice Festival and New York City’s new Venture Opera, Marchesa in Verdi’s Un Giorno di Regno with Odyssey Opera of Boston, Fiordiligi in Cosi fan tutte with Annapolis Opera, and most recently, Leonore in Beethoven’s Fidelio with Grand Harmonie.
Shoremount-Obra has appeared at Carnegie Hall as the soprano soloist in Fauré’s Requiem, Brahms’ Requiem and Schubert’s Mass in G and at David Geffen Hall as the Soprano Soloist in Verdi’s Requiem. She was a National semi-finalist and New York regional winner in the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions and holds degrees from Manhattan School of Music and Juilliard.
Eric Silberger is a winner of the International Tchaikovsky Competition and recently played violin inside a volcano in Iceland. He is excited to visit the volcano here in Ka`u, said Shoremount-Obra.
For more, see himusicfestival.com.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.
HAWAI`I COUNTY ECONOMIC Opportunity Council’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program 2016 application period continues through June 30. LIHEAP assists households with their utility bill (electric or gas).
Ka`u residents can apply at Na`alehu HCEOC Office on Monday and Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., Ocean View Community Center on Tuesday from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and Edmund C. Olson Trust Office Building in Pahala on Thursday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.
Ka`u residents can apply at Na`alehu HCEOC Office on Monday and Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., Ocean View Community Center on Tuesday from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and Edmund C. Olson Trust Office Building in Pahala on Thursday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.
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| A Walk into the Past takes place every Tuesday. Photo from KDEN |
KA`U RESIDENT DICK HERSHBERGER brings Hawaiian Volcano Observatory founder Thomas Jaggar to life during A Walk into the Past. Programs are every Tuesday at 10 a.m., 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. Meet at Kilauea Visitor Center in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.
AFTER DARK IN THE PARK presents Ha`upu tomorrow at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Students from Kamehameha Schools Hawai`i presents the Hawaiian language opera based on the legend of Hina and her son Kana. This all-school production tells the story through mele (song), oli (chant) and hula (dance). Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and seating is limited.
Free; park entrance fees apply.
Free; park entrance fees apply.
ADVOCATS OFFERS A FREE SPAY & Neuter Clinic Wednesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Ocean View Community Center. Make appointments at 327-3724.
KA`U'S STATE SEN. RUSSELL RUDERMAN holds a legislative talk story at Cooper Center in Volcano Village Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. "Be a part of crafting legislation that will drive change and help create the community that we all deserve," Ruderman said. Light refreshments will be served.
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.
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| See kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.html and kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.pdf. |
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| See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_June2016.pdf. |
