Lo (third right) leads the tossing of Yee Sang during lunch after the meeting. On his right is MPP secretary Elizabeth Loh.

KUCHING (Jan 31): Padawan Municipal Council (MPP) will not hesitate to order closure of eateries found with rats, said its chairman Lo Khere Chiang.

He explained this is to prevent the spread of leptospirosis, an infectious disease transmitted through urine of rats/ mice and caused by Leptospira bacteria that is spread through animals.

He pointed out this disease can lead to kidney damage, meningitis (inflammation of the membrane around the brain and spinal cord), liver failure, respiratory distress, and even death.

“Why I bring this up, is because rats are found in the kitchen… That is why we are very serious about this. Those that are caught (with rats), we will close them if we find rats in the kitchen or the restaurant (eatery),” he said during a press conference after chairing MPP full council meeting today.

He, however, did not disclose the number of leptospirosis cases recorded so far and the number of outlets that were ordered to close in MPP areas.

He said the council’s Vector Control Section has carried out rodent-borne disease control activities such as installing ‘Matikus’ poison at all three public markets in MPP namely Kota Sentosa Market, Kota Padawan Market and 3rd Mile Market.

He also said a Rats Extermination and Public Market Cleaning campaign was carried out on Aug 1, last year at Kota Padawan Market, where among the activities carried out were the cleaning of the market, installation of rat poison, installation of traps to obtain rat index and distribution of leaflets about leptospirosis.

“The results of the catch obtained and the calculation of the Rat index found that the rat index rate is Level 1 (low and under control) in all three Council’s markets,” he said.

On another matter, Lo said fogging activities are carried out at locations under MPP with high Aedes mosquito index to prevent spread of dengue fever.

He revealed that for last year, a total of 57 cases of dengue fever were recorded in MPP areas.“There were four dengue outbreak localities recorded in 2022, namely: Stapok Selatan, Everbright Park, Taman Phoenix and Kampung Karu.

“In 2022, 16,165 premises were inspected including shops, residential premises and schools. Dengue awareness pamphlets were distributed to the public,” he said.

Lo, who is also Batu Kitang assemblyman, pointed out that since fogging is only effective to kill adult mosquitoes, the key point to prevent the propagation of the disease is to ensure our living environments are free from Aedes breeding sites/habitats.

He said these include eliminating unnecessary empty containers, emptying vases and other natural habitats that accumulate the stagnant water.

“Public cooperation is important to maintain the cleanliness of the surrounding and to destroy any potential Aedes breeding ground.

“We need to be extra vigilant especially during the raining and flooding season to avoid accumulation of stagnant water,” he said.

Lo also advised the public not to be complacent against Covid-19 although the country is now in the process to reach endemic phase.

He said they should continue to practice good hygiene such as washing of hands after contact with persons or objects and wear a facemask especially when they are indoor or in crowded areas as a precaution against Covid-19 infection.

“The elderly and young children are more at risk, hence should always avoid crowded areas and exposure,” he said, adding MPP through the Vector Control Section had carried out disinfection in the MPP office building, markets and public toilets.