A staff of AMA spraying the market

As part of measures to control rodent infes­tation in some major markets in the capital city, the Accra Metropolitan As­sembly (AMA) has conducted a ‘de-ratting exercise’ to ensure a safer and healthier environment.

The exercise was conducted at the 31st December Market, Agbogbloshie and Makola No 2. markets.

Speaking to the Spectator in Accra, the Head of Public Affairs of the AMA, Gilbert Nii Ankrah said some of the health risk associated with rodent infested markets were food contamination, leptospirosis (a bacterial disease spread through the urine of infected animals), hantavirus (a family of viruses spread mainly by rodents and can cause varied disease syndromes in people) and allergies.

He said rodents also gnaw on structures, wiring, and packaging materials, po­tentially causing damage to buildings and creating fire haz­ards if they chew on electrical wiring,” he added.

According to Mr Ankrah, rodent were highly adaptable creatures that often carry bait to their nests located far from where they originally encoun­ter it and making it challeng­ing to control their population effectively, hence the use of the systemic and gradual killing,” Mr Ankrah said.

He said before the opera­tion, Public Health Officers conducted a comprehensive assessment of each market to identify rat-infested areas, entry points, and potential breeding grounds, adding that despite awareness campaigns, achieving univer­sal compliance with hygiene practices among vendors proved challenging.

He pointed out that the assembly, as part of mea­sures to address factors that may cause the increase in rodent population in the market, had established a routine de-ratting schedule to prevent infestation and was redeveloping the mar­kets to eliminate entry points for rats.

He added that the assem­bly was educating traders on proper waste disposal and hygiene practices, emphasis­ing that the success of the initiative does not only hinge on the efficacy of the gradual poisoning method, but on the collaborative efforts of the community.

 By Jemima Esinam Kuatsinu