According to New York City Mayor Eric Adams, rat urine is the cause of an increase in flu-like illnesses in the city.
Leptospirosis is a potentially fatal bacterial infection that can be transmitted through contact with the urine of infected animals or urine-contaminated water, soil and food.
Animals that can contract the disease include dogs, cattle, pigs and horses. In humans, symptoms include fever, headache, chills, muscle aches, vomiting, diarrhea, cough, conjunctival effusion, jaundice and rash.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, if left untreated, the disease can cause kidney damage, meningitis, liver failure, respiratory distress and even death. For years, New York City has been plagued by cases of the disease due to the ever-present rat population.
But according to the New York City Health Department, the number of diagnosed cases has increased recently; in 2023 alone, 24 cases were reported, the highest number on a yearly basis. So far this year, 6 cases of leptospirosis have been reported.
By comparison, the city had three cases a year from 2001 to 2020. Officials say one of the reasons for the increase is that residents are leaving plastic garbage bags on the street.
“This is a real problem,” Adams said in response to a question about the issue at a press conference in Albany on Thursday.
There are too many plastic bags on our streets.
Adams appointed Kathleen Corradi as the city’s first “Rat Chief,” a move he said puts his team one step ahead in the fight against the rodents. He said ongoing efforts, such as the use of garbage containers instead of bags, are “driving rats out of the city.”
Adams said, “The public has to make the connection. Plastic bags are rodents. If we remove plastic bags from our streets, we will take a big step forward in the problem of reducing rats.”
Speaking at the same press conference, Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi said that New Yorkers throw away 19 million pounds of garbage every day. She said that everyone who works in garbage collection, such as apartment workers, should wear gloves to avoid contracting the disease.
Adams’ office invested $3.5 million to launch the Harlem Rat Abatement Zone, an initiative to reduce the number of rats seen in the neighborhood. Officials have reported a 20 percent reduction in non-emergency rat calls since the work began.
