New York City is seeing an increase in cases of human leptospirosis, a condition caused by rat urine that, if left untreated, can lead to kidney and liver damage.
Last year, the city recorded 24 cases of human leptospirosis, the greatest number in a single year.
According to a health advisory issued by the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene on April 12, six cases have been recorded so far this year.
This is in contrast to the previous two decades, when an average of three cases were reported each year.
What is leptospirosis?
Leptospirosis is spread by bacteria in the urine of infected Norway rats, often known as brown rats, which account for the majority of the rodent population in New York City.
According to Mayor Eric Adams, the city has been ahead of the curve in terms of rodent mitigation.
“We knew this was a real problem, we didn’t wait for this rat urine problem,” Adams said.
The city contains four rat migration zones: Harlem, the Grand Concourse in the Bronx, Bedford-Stuyvesant/Bushwick, and East Village/Chinatown.
Adams feels the city was ahead of the curve in implementing mandatory garbage bins, which helped to restrict any skin exposure to rats.
“People need to connect the dots; plastic bags mean rodents, get the plastic bags off our streets, you will make a major dent in the rat mitigation problem,” Adams said.
Adams said total success would be no more rats.
“I don’t think any rodent can traumatize you any more than a rat,” Adams said. “So success is to stop the traumatizing of people that the rodents have basically taken over our city.”
In 2017, one person died and two others fell seriously ill with the disease in the Bronx. The cluster of cases was discovered in an apartment complex and was caused by a rat infestation and poor garbage management.