Keelung's First Expert Home Visit Finds Unsealed Kitchen Exhaust Pipe as Likely Rat Entry Point

(CNA, Keelung, by reporter Wang Chao-yu, May 20) Keelung City today launched a program for experts to assist with at-home rat extermination. The first case was at a residence near a morning market on Zhongzheng Road, where the occupant had routed a range hood exhaust pipe through an open window to the outdoors. Experts suspect rats may have entered through this opening and recommended that it be sealed. Following a confirmed case of Hantavirus in Keelung, Mayor Hsieh Kuo-liang announced this morning that village chiefs would centrally file applications with district offices to have vector control technicians visit homes to help residents with rat extermination. At noon, two experts, accompanied by staff from the Animal Protection and Health Inspection Office, inspected the residence on Zhongzheng Road. After entering the house, the experts spotted a rat in a gap between a cabinet and a wall in a corner of the living room. They advised the resident to purchase two rat traps and place them at both ends behind the cabinet. The experts also instructed the resident on how to set the bait, hoping to catch the rat within a week, after which it should be wrapped in a garbage bag and handed over to the cleaning squad. Additionally, the resident's routing of the range hood exhaust pipe through an open window left a large gap as the window could not be closed. Experts speculated that rats might be entering through this gap and recommended sealing it with stainless steel mesh and filling the edges with silicone or foam sealant for a complete block. Chen Po-ting, Director of the Animal Protection and Health Inspection Office, said in an interview that home rat prevention follows the "3 No's principle": don't let rats in, don't let rats live there, and don't let rats eat. Any gaps in a home larger than an NT$10 coin should be sealed with sturdy materials, as regular window screens can be gnawed through by rats. Chen pointed out that clutter or cardboard boxes that have been piled up for a long time should be cleared or organized. Any openings in cardboard boxes must also be sealed, otherwise they can become nesting places for rats. Food must be stored in sealed containers such as metal or glass and, as much as possible, should not be left out overnight to avoid producing odors that attract rats. (Editor: Lee Shu-hua)