Rodents and Public Health Global Initiative
An initiative to achieve reduction of the public health threats caused by rodent infestations
RATIONALE
Rodents have been a known public health threat for centuries and are emblematic of poverty, underdevelopment, and epidemics.
It has been estimated that 400 million human cases of rodent related zoonoses occur every year.
Injuries and degraded living conditions that affect well-being and quality of life can also be added to the public health impact toll.
Food safety and nutrition are impacted by rodent contamination of food and crop losses. These threats affect millions of people, some already undernourished, worldwide.
The challenge of rodent control and reducing the impact of rodent proliferations is at the crossroads of several key disciplines (infectious disease, rodent ecology, nutrition, social sciences, emergency response, One Health) and sectors (academia, local government, community organizations, and International Health Regulations).
In 2019 we aimed to setup an international and inter-sectoral initiative to expand our leptospirosis work to purse the following goals:
Advocate and technically assist Ecologically Based Rodent Management programs
Guide and coordinate operational research
Develop targeted prevention and control strategies for rodents and their ectoparasites
Improve prevention and control strategies for the rodent-borne diseases with the highest public health impact with emphasis on leptospirosis, typhus, plague, arenaviruses, hantaviruses and gastroenteric infections
Current Leadership
Eric Bertherat
Steve Belmain, University of Greenwich, UK
Federico Costa, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Brazil
Gauthier Dobigny, UMN, IRD, France
Past Activities
Training workshop on rodent control, Nassau, Bahamas 2022
Online workshop on leptospirosis rodent surveillance for the Indonesia Ministry of Health, 2022
Image Credit : Endang Wulandari/ WHO
