Baguio relaunches rat hunting campaign to fight spread of leptospirosis

BAGUIO CITY— Baguio City once again relaunched its “hunting season” for rats with its "Rat Catching Challenge" to clear the public market of persky rodents.

The "Rat Catching Challenge" will run until August 31, 2024.

This will be monitored by the City Treasurer's Office-Market Section and the City Veterinary and Agriculture Office (CVAO) as rat hunters will get prizes.

The rat hunting contest is seeking to continuously involve market leaseholders and vendors including privately-operated business establishments within the public market in the campaign against the rodents.

Caught rats, dead or alive, shall be turned over to a collection point for identification.

Collection for disposal is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Mondays to Saturdays by the CVAO.

Running for four years now, the "Rat Catching Challenge" was initiated by Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong in 2020 to eradicate rats visibly thriving at the public market.

A month-long catching of rodents since May 1 already yielded a total of 1,766 mostly caught by vendors at the Lechon Section, Pines Meat Mart and Entrails Section.

This year, the section with the most rats caught will receive P25,000 cash prize; second place will get P15,000; third place with P10,000; and P5,000 for the highest number of rats caught by an individual.

The campaign against rats is being promoted in the city to address leptospirosis cases.

Leptospirosis, an infection from rat urine in flood waters, increased to 126% last year in the months of July and August, at the onset of the rainy season that caused the death of seven individuals.

While efforts are being concentrated at the city public market, search for rats is encouraged all over the city alongside simultaneous clean-up drives.

The City Health Services Office said leptospirosis infected humans have flu-like symptoms; yellow skin, kidney failure and organ failure occurring within two weeks of contamination.