KUALA LUMPUR: Just traces of rat droppings found in the storeroom of a restaurant in Ampang, Selangor, were enough to prompt swift action from the authorities, which ordered the eatery to close for a week.
The surprise inspection was conducted by the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council and Food Safety and Quality Division of the Selangor Health Department in April. The closure, which falls under Section 11 of the Food Act 1983, allows premises deemed dirty and hazardous to health to be shut down for up to 14 days.
The restaurant manager, who only wanted to be identified as Kee, said they used the one-week closure to mobilise staff for thorough cleaning, including hiring a pest control company to eradicate pests.
Kee, 41, added that photos of the restaurant slapped with the closure notice circulated widely on social media, leaving the business struggling for nearly a month even after it was permitted to reopen.
WARM WEATHER UPS RAT POPULATION
Rats are synonymous with filth and disease and are not tolerated in public places because they are known carriers of dangerous pathogens, including those that cause leptospirosis.
Health authorities stress that their presence poses a serious risk of contamination to food, water and the wider environment, endangering public health.
According to a study published in ‘Science Advances’ – the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s open access multidisciplinary journal – on Jan 31, climate change is contributing to a global rise in urban rat infestations.
The study also found that denser urban environments and higher human populations also increase rat numbers, with “warmer temperatures seeming to be the biggest influence”.
“The frisky rodents would scamper around, and since rats’ physiology is sensitive to temperature, females would reach sexual maturity earlier, get pregnant and have larger litters more frequently as it stays warmer for longer periods.
“Rats also breed disease. They transmit and carry more than 50 zoonotic pathogens and parasites that can make people sick,” said Jonathan Richardson, a professor at the United States’ University of Richmond and the lead author of the study.
LEPTOSPIROSIS DURING FLOODS
In Malaysia, leptospirosis was gazetted as a compulsory notifiable disease in 2010 by the Ministry of Health (MOH). Without treatment, leptospirosis in people can lead to kidney damage, meningitis, liver failure and even death.
According to Associate Prof Dr Siti Norbaya Masri, head of Universiti Putra Malaysia’s Medical Microbiology Department at the Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, leptospirosis is caused by the pathogenic Leptospira species, widespread in tropical and temperate regions.
“Rodents (rats) are a well-known Leptospira reservoir responsible for the transmission of leptospirosis in both urban and rural areas. It can spread among humans through direct contact with the urine of infected carriers or through contaminated water or soil.
“Usually, Leptospira exposure in humans happens during occupational or recreational activities. In many circumstances, its symptoms are indistinguishable from other tropical infections such as dengue,” she told Bernama.
She said accurate diagnosis of leptospirosis is difficult and often requires complementary laboratory investigation.
She added that based on global data collected by the International Leptospirosis Society, an estimated 350,000 to 500,000 cases of severe leptospirosis are reported every year, with the mortality rate lying at between five percent and 15 percent.
According to MOH, leptospirosis cases in Malaysia peaked in the mid-2010s before showing a declining trend in recent years – from just 263 cases and 20 deaths in 2004, infections surged to a record 8,291 cases in 2015, while the deadliest year was 2014 with 92 deaths.
Since then, cases have gradually declined, with 1,761 cases reported in 2021.
In countries like Malaysia, where rainy weather is frequent, the threat of leptospirosis remains a serious concern.
Universiti Sains Malaysia School of Biological Sciences senior lecturer Dr Noraini Philip said flash floods in urban areas, caused by heavy rain and clogged drains, usually result in floodwaters washing away contaminated surfaces such as soil and puddles, thereby increasing human exposure to Leptospira.
“Floods also contribute to the increased rodent population in human-populated areas due to the disruption of rodent habitats, and potentially elevate Leptospira contamination in human environments, thereby increasing the risk of leptospirosis,” she said.
RAT HOT SPOTS
UPM’s Dr Siti Norbaya said while rat populations may be influenced by breeding sites and seasons, they may also be determined by species distribution that carries the Leptospira bacteria.
“The species distribution may have been influenced by the geographical and ecological context as urban rat behaviour is more territorial in nature (the stronger ones become dominant for many generations).
“In addition, wet markets located near housing areas and infrastructure with high population density also contribute to the increased population of rats,” she said.
To eradicate and reduce urban rat populations, most local authorities carry out internal control measures, including destroying breeding grounds, regular monitoring and carrying out enforcement action against dirty food outlets and retail shops.
Local councils also use poison in a controlled and limited manner to eliminate rats, targeting areas with high rat populations such as food courts, commercial zones and residential areas.
Some local authorities carry out rat eradication campaigns, but not on a regular basis. This year, the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) was the only local authority in Peninsular Malaysia to run a rat eradication campaign, while Kota Kinabalu City Hall in Sabah conducted a similar initiative in April.
Commenting on the council’s rat eradication campaign, MPAJ deputy president Hasrolnizam Shaari said it worked closely with local communities, particularly Residents’ Committees, by offering a reward of RM3 for each rat caught – dead or alive.
He said the campaign, held from July 9 to 25 in conjunction with the Environmental Health Campaign organised by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, focused on markets.
“The response was encouraging, with 101 rats caught. Most of them used rat traps. This is seen as a good start in engaging the local community in efforts to reduce the rat population in the Pekan Ampang area,” he said.
He added that this community-based approach has proven effective, creating a positive impact by raising public awareness, promoting social responsibility and expanding pest control efforts in a more comprehensive and sustainable way.
“Direct community involvement also helps MPAJ conduct informal monitoring in high-risk areas while strengthening cooperation between residents and local authorities,” he said.
FILTH, GARBAGE ATTRACT RATS
Hasrolnizam said aside from weather conditions, the rise in the rat population has also been linked to inefficient solid waste management practices, such as indiscriminate garbage disposal and poor environmental hygiene.
“The attitude of some food premise operators who discharge wastewater directly into drains without using grease traps has contributed to dirty drains.
“Monitoring activities and joint operations with the (Selangor) Health Department are carried out from time to time to ensure that business premises such as eateries, food courts and public markets do not dispose of waste indiscriminately, especially into drains.
“If rats, cockroaches, droppings or unclean surroundings are detected during operations or through public complaints, closure notices and compounds will immediately be issued against the premises,” he said.
He added that preventive and control measures are carried out internally by MPAJ’s Urban Services and Health Department staff to curb rat infestations in Ampang.
“The approach includes health promotion and education through briefings and awareness campaigns, the placement of rat poison in high-risk areas, as well as inspection and monitoring of food and retail outlets to ensure commercial areas remain clean and free from pests such as cockroaches, flies and rats.
“MPAJ also works with councillors and Residents’ Committees in selected zones to conduct rat index studies to determine the rat population index in an area before implementing control measures, particularly in public hot spots such as markets and hawker centres,” he added. – Bernama