Protecting communities from deadly leptospirosis

MANILA, Philippines – The frequent typhoons and monsoon rains bring a silent yet deadly threat to flooded areas: leptospirosis, a potentially deadly infection caused by leptospira bacteria in rats’ urine.

When a person wades in floodwaters that are contaminated by rat urine, he or she is at risk of leptospirosis infection. The Department of Health (DOH) warns the public not to take the risk of leptospirosis for granted.

The residents of Barangay Rizal, Pala-Pala Zone 1 in Iloilo City recently participated in a campaign against rats and rodents in their neighborhood, working with local officials and the Racumin RatAttack team.

RatAttack is a community-based program that seeks to eliminate the threat of rats and rodents in various parts of the country.

“We want to reduce the risk of diseases brought by rats to our community. This is why we were happy when the RatAttack campaign was conducted here. We’re glad that many residents participated in the effort — it’s really for their own protection,” said barangay chairman Alain Rey Depatillo.

The barangay council members and even residents from neighboring barangays participated in the effort as well.

Prevention is best

Efforts like the RatAttack campaign teach communities to prevent the occurrence of leptospirosis in the community. And with good reason: without proper and immediate treatment, leptospirosis can kill.

Racumin Tracking Powder is sprinkled along pathways where rats commonly pass. The powder sticks to the rats’ fur and prove fatal to them when they lick themselves clean.

Initial symptoms are flu-like, including fever, severe headache, red eyes and muscle pain. Calf muscle pain is also reported in certain cases. The incubation period of the leptospira bacteria is from seven to 10 days.

Severe leptospirosis cases may harm the liver, kidneys or even the brain. In these cases, symptoms may include jaundice, dark-colored urine, light stool, low urine output, and severe headache. Complications arising from leptospirosis may cause death.

The DOH has recorded a total of 2,061 leptospirosis cases from January to September this year nationwide, including 156 deaths. These figures represent a 194 percent increase in leptospirosis cases in the country compared to the same period last year.

The DOH recommends these preventive measures against leptospirosis:

• Avoid swimming or wading in potentially contaminated water;

• Use proper protection like boots and gloves when exposure to contaminated water cannot be avoided;

• Drain potentially contaminated water whenever possible; and

• Control rats in the household by using rat traps or rat poison; maintain cleanliness in the house.

Eliminating rats and mice

Leptospirosis infections are best prevented by eliminating rats and rodents that spread the bacteria through their waste. During the latest RatAttack event last September in Barangay Rizal, residents learned how to get rid of rats.

“The most important step, of course, is to always keep our surroundings clean. Always wipe away food crumbs and spills as these attract rats and mice. You must also dispose of junk that may become hiding places for rats and mice. However, since rats and mice are already established in our neighborhoods, using rat control products is also a must,” said Bubbles Santos, operations manager of Neumann & Mueller, exclusive marketer and distributor of Bayer Advanced Racumin in the Philippines.

Choosing an effective rat control product is important chiefly because rats are intelligent enough to avoid poisoned bait. “Rats and mice can detect poison. They easily become wary of eating bait, especially if they observe that other rats and mice die upon consuming it. Any rat control system must outsmart these rodents,” said Mari-Gail Lasam-Cruz, marketing manager of Neumann & Mueller.

“Instant kill” products, she said, are impressive in the beginning: rats and mice die upon consumption of these products. However, this also teaches surviving rodents to avoid such products. The long-term benefit of these instant kill products is therefore lower.

It’s much better to fool rats into thinking that the bait is “safe” so they will continue eating it. This is exactly what happens when one uses a “slow kill” bait formula: the rats and mice die days after they eat the product.

“They die far away from the slow kill bait, so other rats and mice don’t become suspicious of the bait. As a result, the bait has a long-term benefit of continuously killing rats and mice,” Cruz said.

Slow kill options

Three products in the market have a slow kill formulation that outsmarts rats and mice: Racumin Tracking Powder, Racumin Ready-Made Bait, and Racumin Paste.

Racumin Tracking Powder is placed in pathways where rats and mice pass. The powder sticks to their fur and when the rodents clean themselves (through licking their fur), they ingest the poison.

Racumin Ready-Made Bait is made from fragrant rice, which attracts rodents. Racumin Paste comes in easy-to-use sachets that can be conveniently placed in areas frequented by rodents.

Rats and mice that consume Racumin products die after two to three days, when they are already far from the bait that they ate. This prevents other rats and mice from getting suspicious of the products.

RatAttack participants attend a lecture about the behavior and sleeping patterns of rats and mice, and the means to control the population of these pests. The barangay receives educational leaflets and samples of Racumin products, so they can immediately apply what they learned.

The Racumin RatAttack campaign, with the theme “Protecting Your Family and Community,” is organized by Bayer Environmental Science and Neumann & Mueller Philippines Inc., in partnership with the selected communities.

Racumin products are available in supermarkets nationwide.