(CNN) Rat lungworm disease has sickened three more visitors to the state of Hawaii recently, bringing the total number of cases to 10 for 2018 and five so far this year, the state's Department of Health said. The three cases newly confirmed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are unrelated, and affected three adult travelers from mainland United States. All five of this year's cases were contracted on Hawaii Island, also known as the Big Island. A parasitic infection c auses the disease formally known as angiostrongyliasis, which is often mild and goes undetected. However, rat lungworm can also cause severe effects on a person's brain and spinal cord, according to the CDC.

Source: CNN May 27, 2019 14:03 UTC