 | #TECHNOTIPS: Rats are such a health risk to the community |
 Rats and mice are adaptable public health pests and breeding machines. A single mouse gets pregnant about five to 10 times each year and can give birth to three to 14 pups. This number of tiny creatures comes with infectious diseases that can affect both people and animals, including plague, salmonellosis, leptospirosis, and tularemia. These diseases can be passed on by direct contact such as rat bites, unsafe handling and disposal of infected dead rats, and consumption of food or water contaminated with rat urine, feces, saliva or hair. One can also be indirectly infected by these diseases by ticks, fleas, and mites that live on infected rats.Rat infestation can also weaken building structures through their natural behaviors, as they gnaw through lead and aluminum sheeting or chew through electrical wiring that can start fire.
Rats can be discouraged and controlled simply by denying them food and shelter. Secure any possible access points around all buildings to prevent rats and mice from manifesting. Keep every nook and cranny clean by storing fresh food and disposing food waste properly to avoid pest invitation. (Western Australia Health Department, Government of South Australia SA Health, PreventivePestHouston.com)
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(By: Caitlin Jane Abeleda, ATI-ISD) |
