Journal Article

Systematic surveillance tools to reduce rodent pests in disadvantaged urban areas can empower communities and improve public health

Barreto, Ana, Maria, Argibay, Hernan, Dario, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Ferguson, Luther, Centre de Biologie pour la Gestion des Populations (UMR CBGP) ; Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [Occitanie])-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Institut Agro Montpellier ; Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Université de Montpellier (UM), Riviere-Cinnamond, Ana, Institut Pasteur de Madagascar ; Pasteur Network (Réseau International des Instituts Pasteur), Dobigny, Gauthier, Belmain, Steven, Yale School of Public Health (YSPH), Pan American Health Organization [Washington] (PAHO), Palma, Fabiana, Almerinda G, This work was supported by World Health Or

2024

Overview

Rodents are notorious pests, known for transmitting major public health diseases and causing agricultural and economic losses. The lack of site-specific and national standardised rodent surveillance in several disadvantaged communities has rendered interventions targeted towards rodent control as often ineffective. Here, by using the example from a pilot case-study in the Bahamas, we present a unique experience wherein, through multidisciplinary and community engagement, we simultaneously developed a standardised national surveillance protocol, and performed two parallel but integrated activities: (1) eight days of theoretical and practical training of selected participants; and (2) a three-month post-training pilot rodent surveillance in the urban community of Over-the-Hill, Nassau, The Bahamas. To account for social and environmental conditions influencing rodent proliferation in the Bahamas, we engaged selected influential community members through a semi-structured interview and gathered additional site-specific information using a modified Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) exterior and interior rodent evaluation form, along with other validated instruments such as tracking plates and snap trapping, to test and establish a standardised site-specific rodent surveillance protocol tailored for the Bahamas. Our engagement with community members highlighted poor disposal of animal and human food, irregular garbage collection, unapproved refuse storage, lack of accessible dumpsters, poor bulk waste management, ownership problems and structural deficiencies as major factors fuelling rodent proliferation in the study areas. Accordingly, results from our pilot survey using active rodent signs (that is, the presence of rodent runs, burrows, faecal material or gnawed material) as a proxy of rodent infestation in a generalized linear model confirmed that the variables earlier identified during the community engagement program as significantly correlated with rodent activities (and capturing) across the study areas. The successful implementation of the novel site-specific protocol by trained participants, along with the correlation of their findings with those recorded during the community engagement program, underscores its suitability and applicability in disadvantaged urban settings. This experience should serve as a reference for promoting a standardised protocol for monitoring rodent activities in many disadvantaged urban settings of the Global South, while also fostering a holistic understanding of rodent proliferation. Through this pilot case-study, we advocate for the feasibility of developing sustainable rodent control interventions that are acceptable to both local communities and public authorities, particularly through the involvement of a multidisciplinary team of professionals and community members.

• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group,CCSD,Nature Publishing Group UK,Nature Portfolio
• Subject: 631/158/1469 / 631/158/1745 / 631/158/2039 / 631/158/853 / 631/158/856 / 631/158/858 / Agricultural sciences / Agriculture, economy and politics / Animals / Community / Community engagement / Community involvement / Environmental conditions / Garbage / Generalized linear models / Humanities and Social Sciences / Humans / Life Sciences / Local communities / multidisciplinary / Pests / Public Health / Quantitative Finance / Risk Management / Rodent control / Rodentia / Rodents / Santé publique et épidémiologie / Science / Science (multidisciplinary) / Solid wastes / Surveillance / Sustainable rodent management / The Bahamas / Training / Urban areas / Urban rodent survey / Vulnerable Populations / Waste Management / Zoonoses