KOTA KINABALU: A nationwide campaign to create awareness on the dangerous effects of rat urine to public health will be launched by the Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Ministry next week.
According to its minister, Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan, the official launching will be held here in the state capital on August 24 and he will personally officiate the launch.
Speaking to reporters at his Hari Raya open house in Taman Kingfisher Sulaman here yesterday, Abdul Rahman pointed out that in the past few months, cases involving ‘leptospirosis’, which is caused by rat urine, have been published in the mass media.
“As a follow up to that, I have taken the initiative to launch a big campaign to create awareness about the effects of rat urine which causes leptospirosis. It is called ‘Kempen Pelancaran Kawalan Tikus’ and the official launching is on August 24 in Kota Kinabalu when it will be launched simultaneously in all cities as well as towns throughout the country.
“I will personally officiate it here in Kota Kinabalu. This is important because not many people are aware just how dangerous this disease is and it is caused by rats which are attracted to dirty residences and premises.
“We want to create public awareness on the need to contain the spread of this disease. The campaign will create awareness on how to be more hygienic … it is about the environment and how you keep it cleaner so that you do not attract rats and vermins,” Abdul Rahman said.
To a question on complaints about pig and chicken farms near residential areas, he said that this problem had been directed to the local authority in the respective areas to handle.
“Even though the local authorities have the authority to see what business can be carried out in their respective areas, they are also faced with humanitarian issues, especially when farmers like the pig farmers have been operating in the area for 20 or 30 years.
“How can we ask them to leave the area? So we have to look at it from a humanitarian aspect. But I would like to remind the local authorities that first and foremost is public health. It is the number one priority.
“So if the farm is found to be the cause of diseases, the local authority must take stern action. That is clear in the guidelines issued to the local authorities,” he stressed.