NEW YORK -- There is a new phase in New York City's war on rats after the Health Department warned that in 2023 rat-related sickness soared to the highest level in a single year.They are everywhere -- in your kitchens, in your gardens, in your trash, and now they are making New Yorkers sick.The Health Department is warning of a worrisome increase in the number of infectious leptospirosis cases that come from contact with rat urine.
'In terms of awareness, I understand if we wear gloves -- supers, or people who tend to deal with large amounts of plastic bags,' Deputy Mayor Anne Williams-Isom said.Adams said the city is fast tracking its program to get plastic garbage bags off the street and containerize garbage.'We though that it was going to take four and a half years to containerize our garbage. We're going to do it in two and a half years,' Adams said.