Hygiene call: Pest Control Officer-in-charge Yuen Ming-chi and Dr Ho Yuk-yin.

The Food & Environmental Hygiene Department will launch a four-week anti-rodent campaign from July 4 at shopping centres and their peripheral areas.

The department's Consultant (Community Medicine) (Risk Assessment & Communication) Dr Ho Yuk-yin said shopping centres are high-risk places for rodent infestation if environmental hygiene is not properly maintained.

Dr Ho called on shopping centres' management, shop owners and visitors to eradicate the pests. Special attention should be paid to food premises, flowerbeds, store rooms, light-wells, common areas, refuse chambers, rear lanes, side lanes and vacant sites, he said.

The department will step up inspections to ensure proper rodent prevention and control measures are in place.

The move is a follow-up to the promotion phase of the anti-rodent campaign 2005 which ran from last December to January, during which the department visited 445 shopping centres and issued 185 warnings against malpractices.

A total of 18,948 baits were laid and 2,625 dead rodents were collected. About 200 traps were set with 106 rodents caught.

Dr Ho believes the campaign has enhanced public awareness of the rodent problem as reflected in the improved rodent infestation rate earlier this year. The overall rate has dropped from 7.9% before the campaign to 4.7% afterward, though a rise was recorded in several locations.

The Housing Department will conduct daily cleansing operations for floors, drains and garbage rooms.

Dr Ho said joint efforts by the Government and the community over the years have kept rodent-related diseases, including leptospirosis, urban typhus, spotted fever, scrub typhus and hantaviral disease, at low levels.

Up to June 15 four cases of leptospirosis, three of urban typhus, two of spotted fever, five of scrub typhus and one of hantaviral disease were reported.

During the same period, the department received 2,287 rodent-related complaints, collected 12,544 dead rodents and issued 858 verbal and 21 written warnings.

An educational video on rodent control will be distributed to shopping centre management staff.

For more information on pest control measures click here, or call 2868 0000.