Quebec hospital on the hunt for rats spotted in kitchen, ICU, obstetrics

A rat-hunting operation is well underway at the Shawinigan hospital near Trois-Rivières, Que., an attempt to stop the rodents who have been scurrying around the kitchen and parts of the hospital for months now.

The infestation started as far back as February — when one of the unions first informed the hospital about the problem.

"We were told rats were wandering around the kitchen," said Marie-Josée Hamelin, the local union president.

She says the hospital did not act until May and the rats appeared to expand their territory.

"Around June, staff started to see rats a little bit everywhere, even in the intensive care unit which is on the third floor," she said.

30 rats caught since May

Guillaume Cliche, spokesperson for the local health authority, the CIUSSS, says the hospital put in place an action plan to tackle the surge in rodents. Since May, he says 30 rats have been captured.

"We're not the first establishment to have parasites infiltrating our facilities, and we won't be the last," said Cliche.

"Unfortunately, it's part of life, so that's why we take preventive action."

He says the facilities are normally monitored once a week but since May, staff have been upping the patrols, checking the traps three times a week and searching the building for access points.

While the problem is mostly on the food-service floor, Cliche says when access points are sealed off, rats may migrate to other areas looking for an exit.

"They're looking for a way out, so they can wander around different parts of the facility. So we we're seeing traces of them, perhaps excrement in areas, particularly in the intensive care unit and in obstetrics," said Cliche.

'In a hospital, you can't be having rats,' says exterminator

Nathaniel Leavey, co-owner of Maheu Extermination in Drummondville, Que., says 98 per cent of the time, rats enter buildings through the sewers.

"They don't come in through a hole, a door or a window, so you have to find the sewer problem," said Leavey.

"In a case like the hospital, it could be a case of broken sewers. Perhaps they've been doing renovations. There may be renovations going on outside. So they come out of the sewer system, and they find food and waste … You have to do some detective work."

He says there are billions of rats in the world and although they can be useful, even helping to clean out sewer systems and unblocking pipes, Leavey says their population can skyrocket quickly.

"That's when we start having problems. They emerge because there are just too many of them. Some can even be chased out of the sewers because there are clan wars between the rats," said Leavey.

He says under the right conditions, a pair of rats can be responsible for upward of a thousand pups per year. That's why it's so important to keep them out of hospital settings, says Leavey.

"Rats can be vectors of disease. It was responsible for the plague in the Middle Ages. It's an animal that hangs around in sewers, it can infect and dirty food by nibbling it," said Leavey.

"So it's safe to say that, especially in a hospital, you can't be having rats."

'It's not related to the hygiene of our facilities,' says health authority

Leavey says there are two options to get rid of the critters — poison or traps. In a hospital, he says traps are the best option because if a rat eats poison it might die and rot in the wall and create unwanted odours.

"Traps can be useful, but don't forget that a trap can either kill the rat or injure it," said Leavey.

"It's not good if the trap just clips the rat's leg because then the rat will start screaming, or the rat may wander into the hallway with the trap. That's not what we want."

Cliche says the hospital is trying to improve the situation and working with specialized exterminators. This past month, he says they captured only two rats.

He says the rodent problem has nothing to do with cleanliness.

"Parasites come from outside and try to get into our facilities for food or shelter," said Cliche. "So that's it. It's not related to the hygiene of our facilities."