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Posted: Wednesday, April 28th, 2004 4:41 AM HST

Cases of bacterial disease on the rise in Hawaii

By Associated Press

(Honolulu-AP) -- Leptospirosis -- a bacterial disease contracted through exposure to contaminated fresh water sources -- is on the rise in Hawaii. The state Health Department says 21 cases of the disease have been reported so far this year, compared to only four at the same time last year. One of the cases involved a Big Island man who died January 26th in Baltimore. Simon Hultman, a 22-year-old student at Washington College in Maryland, became ill after returning to school following a visit home during the holidays. While home in December, Hultman hiked and swam in a number of places, including Waipio Valley, a known source of the disease. The state says leptospirosis is primarily carried by rats and mice, although dogs, pigs, cattle and horses can also be infected. Humans can become infected when they are exposed to fresh water that is contaminated with urine from leptospirosis-carrying animals. (Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved.)