In Sarajevo, once again it is the year of the rat.
Social media posts from residents of the Bosnia and Herzegovina capitals show a wealth of rodents swimming in the Mirjacca River, which flows through the city centre.
Long accustomed to poor public services, Saraevan posted photos of overflowing garbage containers and illegal dumping. And with complaints that authorities were unable to clear dead animals from public areas, including children’s playgrounds.
It all makes for a great environment where the rats thrive. However, for humans, the photographs are not quite rosy.
Health experts have accused the number of cases of rat-borne disease of not being able to control rodent populations in Sarajevo due to a surprising increase.
In just 24 hours this week, the country’s largest hospital reported 12 cases of leptospirosis. It follows a steady stream of other infectious diseases at the beginning of the month.
One of the disease’s nicknames, rat fever, reflects an important vector of infection. It generally spreads to humans through water or soil contaminated with rodent urine or feces.
Symptoms range from headaches and muscle pain to bleeding in the lungs. Weil’s disease, an acute form of the disease, can cause yellowing and renal failure.
The local government in Sarajevo has declared the outbreak and allowed the imposition of emergency measures, including long-deferred cleaning.
Extra local government workers armed with disinfectant sprays have been deployed, running city “spring cleans” in public areas of the city and additional garbage collections are placed. The school is instructed to clean the playground, mow the grasslands and check rats in the basement.
The current all-action approach is in stark contrast to the laissez-faire situation of the past two years, during which there were no pest control measures in Sarajevo. Officials blamed the extinction and the failed bidding process for sanitation work, allowing the city to go to mice. And about that, dogs are also a common sight around the capital.
Health Minister Sarajevo Canton, Ennis Hasanovich described the situation as “a joint crisis, not a health crisis.”
However, Sevya Izetobegovich, former director of the University Clinical Centre in Sarajevo, believes that health conditions could be even worse. Currently a member of the Sarajevo Canton Assembly, she points out that “well-grown mice” are currently in cities where “Hantavirus can also be expected.”
At least in some respects, Sarajevo was lucky. Leptospirosis left untreated is fatal, with the mortality rate for people suffering from severe lung bleeding being over 50%.
However, so far, the cases reported in the current outbreak have not been severe.
