Hawaii’s largest airport has temporarily shut down several gates after a maggots infestation was discovered in a trash can.
The Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu said that it closed gates 26 to 34 on Friday as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of the larvae.
The maggots were found in a trash can near gate 34, which is used by Hawaiian Airlines. The airline said that it was working with the airport to resolve the issue and that no flights were affected by the closure.
The airport said that it was conducting a thorough cleaning and disinfection of the area and that it expected to reopen the gates by Saturday morning.
Maggots are fly larvae that feed on decaying organic matter. They can pose a health risk if they contaminate food or water sources.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, myiasis is a rare condition where maggots infest human or animal tissue. It can cause skin lesions, ulcers, wounds or infections.
Some travelers expressed their disgust and concern over the maggots infestation on social media.
‘That is absolutely disgusting and unacceptable,’ one user wrote on Twitter.
‘How does this even happen? That’s so gross,’ another user commented.
This is not the first time that maggots have caused problems at an airport. In 2010, a US Airways flight from Atlanta to Charlotte was delayed after maggots fell from an overhead bin onto passengers. The maggots came from a container of spoiled meat that a passenger had brought on board.
Source: Yahoo News
