Marikina revives ‘rats to cash’ drive vs. leptospirosis

With the cases of leptospirosis on the rise amid the rainy season, Marikina City has brought back its program that offers a bounty for rats caught, according to Dano Tingcungco’s report on “24 Oras.” 

Under the program, the City Environment Management Office (CEMO) will buy  rats weighing 150 grams and above for P200. Those below the said weight are valued at P50 each.

“Yung mga pinanggagalingan nyan 'yung mga ihi ng daga. Kapag umihi 'yung daga, humalo sa lupa, lalo na ngayon may mga Habagat tayo, bumaha, eh humahalo ito. Nakokontamina ang tubig baha 'pag lumusong 'yung tao, lalo na may open wounds ay nagkakaroon sila ng leptospirosis,” Marikina CEMO head Oliver Villanueva said.

(Leptospirosis comes from a rat’s urine. Once they urinate, it will mix with the soil which, in turn, will contaminate floodwaters. So if residents, especially those with open wounds, will wade in floods, they can be infected by the disease.)

“Nakita ng city government isang way para talagang mawala na ang sakit na leptospirosis, 'yung pinanggagalingan. Puksain natin 'yung peste,” he added.

(The city government saw this as one way to eradicate leptospirosis. We should remove the source, which are the pests.)

Villanueva said the CEMO received over 800 rats during the first day of the  program. It is a big jump from last year when only 30 rats were surrendered in three days.

“’Yung carcass ng daga, infectious waste siya. So ang treatment nito, kukunin siya sa amin ng DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources)-accredited transporter treater para ma-treat siya,” he added.

(The rats’ carcasses are considered infectious wastes. It will be turned over to the DENR-accredited transporter treater to be treated.)

Latest data from the Health Department showed the Philippines recorded 1,770 leptospirosis cases from January to August 27, 2022.  This is 36 percent higher than the cases logged in the same period last year.

Of the figure, the highest cases were monitored in Metro Manila with 378. Marikina, meanwhile, only had three cases from January to September 7, 2022.—Sundy Locus/LDF, GMA News