Health authorities have to do more....

It's high time that we acknowledge the issue of dirty habits and selfish attitudes of hawkers and food outlet operators as being the prime reason for the rise in leptospirosis.cases in the country, and today's news Stop feeding the rats reiterated that throwing food and rubbish into gutters attract the rodents is a timely reminder that the Health Authorities should buck up. Also read Nasi Kandar seller bitten by rodent I have personally seen in my section in Petaling Jaya, Section 11, that all the restaurants there, [more than 10 of them], use the backlanes as the places to prepare food and wash dishes that have been used. The dirty water is conveniently drained directly into the drains, which flow around the residences. I am wondering if these are approved guidelines of the Health Authorities and MBPJ, that is, to allow food leftovers, curries and rice and other debris to flow direct into the drains and gutters. There was one instance, at the junction of Jalan 11/3 and 11/4, the water there is permanently stagnant and the colour of curry, where I saw a rat, as big as a large kitten, swimming in the drains. The situation has not changed for years.

If we are serious about halting the leptospirosis crisis in the country, we must address the root cause of the problem, and that is, the dirty habits and selfish attitudes of hawkers and outlet operators in the country MUST BE STOPPED. Designating the disease as a notifiable disease is only a partial solution to the problem.

Dirty eateries helping spread of leptospirosis