‘Rat fever’ hits Sarajevo as infestation causes disease outbreak

International news correspondent Adam Gilchrist joins 702’s Bongani Bingwa for the World View.

Listen below:

Bosnia and Herzegovina's capital city Sarajevo is facing a rat crisis.

Poor service delivery has caused rubbish to pile up in the streets, which has created the perfect environment for rats to thrive.

The humans, however, are suffering from rat-borne diseases.

The largest hospital in the country reported a dozen cases of leptospirosis, also known as rat fever, in just 24 hours.

This disease has symptoms ranging from pain and headaches, to bleeding on the lungs.

RELATED: Rats on the rise: Study links increasing populations to climate change

Authorities have declared an epidemic and deployed emergency measures to get the situation under control.

“They are trying to clean up, but it is chicken and egg... when you tidy up the rubbish the rats look for other things.” 

- Adam Gilchrist, International News Correspondent

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