Residents exposed to disease

THE Pikitup strike has exposed Johannesburg communities to various infections, and the removal of garbage by the 4 000 employees who reported for duty last week does not immediately solve this danger.

This is contained in a National Health Laboratory Service Report which was leaked to Fourways Review on 11 April.

The report revealed that communities were at risk of skin irritation and infections that are associated with garbage piling up. The report also identified diarrhoea-related diseases from Shigella bacteria, rotaviruses, hepatitis A and E and toxoplasmosis.

“[There are] risks from increased housefly and cockroach breeding with a mechanical transfer of microorganism,” reads part of the report.

It also warned that residents were at risk of contracting rat fever (streptobacillary) from rat bites. Rodents’ urine, saliva and faeces contain enteric pathogens which were identified by the report as dangerous infection agents.

“Some parasitic worms, for which rodents are the natural hosts but which sometimes infect humans are rat lungworm and certain tapeworms. Removal of accumulated garbage will obviously not immediately reduce the number of rats and, in fact, may lead to increased rat-human contact when displaced rats enter homes to seek replacements for lost food and shelter,” reads part of the report.

The City of Johannesburg concurred, in the same National Health Laboratory Service Report, that the local authority was battling to control the population of rodents due to the piling up of household litter, leaving residents at the mercy of rats.

“The increase in rodent attacks on humans bear proof that human beings are living in closer proximity to rodents than before, creating an opportunity for humans to be affected by rodent-borne diseases such as plague, leptospirosis and toxoplasmosis… which are three of the most relevant zoonotic infections [diseases transmitted to humans from animals],” reads part of the report.