The Health bulletin [serial] - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

May, 1951 The Health Bulletin 9ductions In the nvunber of rats in anarea. Bait shyness is quickly developedby rats after receiving a dose too smallto kill or after seeing other rats becomeill and die soon after eating it.The result is prompt enough to causethe illness to be associated with thebait. This poison, regardless of its disadvantages,has a place on a rat controlprogram and is still recommended bythe N. C. State Board of Health inareas where extreme caution must beobserved against the possible ingestionby children or domestic animals, andfor the campaign-type rat control activitywhere no follow-up work Is to bedone.WarfarinA new rodenticide has been developedand released for public use which Iscomparatively safe and highly effective.This material, now called warfarin, wasfor a short period called Compound 42or WARP-42, and is sold imder severalcommercial names such as Dethmore,Rax Powder, etc.Warfarin, which is usually sold Inpowder form of 0.5% concentration, isentirely odorless and tasteless to bothrats and man. When this concentrationIs mixed with yellow corn meal or otherbait In the proportion of one part to 19parts of the bait, it is readily eaten byrats. Bait shyness does not develop aswith Red Squill. For this reason a continuouspoisoning program can be keptin operation.Warfarin is very slow in its physiologicalaction on the rat and severalfeedings are usually necessary before itproves fatal. A single dose is rarelyfatal. For several days after feeding noappreciable change is noticed in therat's appearance or activity. On thethird or fourth day subcutaneous hemorrhagesare often noticed, while Internalhemorrhages are occuring due tothe anti-coagulating effect of the chemical.By this time the rat walks slowlyand tends to drag its hind feet. Deathis caused by suffocation resulting fromlimg hemorrhage or the want of sufBcientblood to supply the tissues withfood. Little or no blood is observed externallyunless the rat has been injured.Death comes so peacefully andquietly that the other rats do not connectIt with food which has been eaten.The hazards to humans and domesticanimals are small but are consideredgreater than those with Red Squill.When baits poisoned with Warfarinare put out aroimd children or domesticanimals, bait stations should be used.The stations most commonly used arewooden boxes with holes to permit theentry of rats and inside containers tohold the bait. Your local health departmentwill be glad to supply informationregarding the design, constructionand placing of bait boxes.Dead and dying rats poisoned withWarfarin should be burned up or buriedto a depth of at least two feet to preventsecondary poisoning to domesticanimals.Your local health department will beglad to advise you regarding the use ofWarfarin and places where it can beobtained.In conducting an effective war againstrats several methods of attack are essentialas in other forms of warfare.Building barriers between rats and theirfood and harborage by ratproofing isboth practical and necessary In orderto conduct a successful campaign butby itself this method Is not sufBcent.Good hoxisekeeplng, premise cleanliness,proper handling of garbage, and otheradherence to basic principles of sanitationIs by far the best approach, butthe Impossibility of achievement on acomplete scale Is recognized. We willhave rats to kill for a long time.By the combined practices of ratproofing,cleanliness and rat killings,we can have satisfactory control.NEED MORE PHYSICIANEXAMINATIONS OF VIOLENTAND SUDDEN DEATHSOnly 13 per cent of the people in theUnited States are protected by adequateinvestigation of violent or suddendeaths, according to Dr. Richard Fordof Boston.In most states, Dr. Ford points outin the Journal of the American Medical