The spectre of leptospirosis that is spreading in Kerala following the devastating floods that has claimed dozens of lives there has not only raised concerns along the border districts of the State, but also the fact that Tamil Nadu has done little to control the population of rodents that are identified as the agents of a number of infectious diseases.

Factfile

Chennai:

Officials from the Greater Chennai Corporation’s Vector Control Department, who are in charge of dealing with complaints of this nature, claimed that they do not receive large number of complaints. “We get rat menace complaints from hospitals and other institutions, and send our teams to the spot,” said an official from the department.

According to the official, Corporation workers identify rat burrows and use tomatoes laced with poison to kill them. 

“The dead rats are then collected by the workers the following day,” he added, pointing out that this exercise is carried out on a weekly basis at the zonal level. Even as the civic body is responsible for handling the menace, the State Health Department is in charge of creating awareness on the need to maintain hygiene and the importance of sanitation. 

“Stagnation of water, poor storage of food and food waste are the main reasons for rat menace. The public also has to take measures to control the menace,” said Dr K Kolandaisamy, Director, Department of Public Health.

The Animal Husbandry Department needs to look into the issue, especially if the case is reported multiple times from the same area. “Rat bites can result in inflammation, multi-organ dysfunction, fever, dehydration and problems to the liver. Also, it can cause Pulmonary discomfort and affect the victim’s muscles,” he said.

Even though leptospirosis is under control in the state, he said that there is still a need to check the breeding of rats. “Besides checking the breeding, there are other ways to prevent the disease. It is important to avoid exposure to urine and tissues of the animal. Do not wade through stagnant water and should be careful about environmental sanitation,” 

Dr Kolandaisami said, adding that it is being looked into in different stages, namely hospital and Primary Health Centres, as well as by taking environmental measures.