费城卫生局拒绝以节育方式控制鼠患的提案
费城卫生局11月3日表示，已拒绝善待动物组织提出的以节育方式控制老鼠数量的提案，理由是没有证据表明这种方法能够降低老鼠种群数量。费城位于宾夕法尼亚州费城县。善待动物组织此前致信市长和市议会，建议给老鼠使用节育药物，使其无法生育，从而减少繁殖。卫生局回应称：「卫生局在病媒控制工作中不使用节育手段，也没有相关计划。简单说，没有研究表明这种方法可以降低老鼠数量。」卫生局拒绝就此接受采访，但通过声明表明了立场。
费城的老鼠问题近年来受到市民关注，尤其是在东北费城地区。10月底，市政府宣布了灭鼠工作的新举措：长期在卫生局工作的阿德里安·乔丹出任费城首位灭鼠经理，负责统筹相关工作。灭鼠工作还包括在东北区下部的牛津圆环和卡斯特花园等社区开展入户调查，听取居民反映。当地一家灭鼠公司负责人表示，费城的老鼠问题正在恶化，东北费城尤为明显。
市政府表示，计划推出一个数据看板，追踪居民来电、投诉和已服务的房产情况，让灭鼠工作的进展更加透明。卫生局的表态意味着，费城未来仍将依靠传统的灭鼠手段，包括环境治理、封堵鼠洞和投放灭鼠措施，而不是节育药物。居民如发现鼠患，可通过市政府渠道投诉，等待工作人员上门处理。
Philadelphia Health Department Rejects Proposal to Use Birth Control to Control Rats
The Philadelphia Department of Public Health said on November 3 that it has rejected a proposal by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to control the city's rat population with birth control, on the grounds that there is no evidence the method reduces rat numbers. Philadelphia is in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. PETA had written to the mayor and City Council suggesting that rats be given contraceptive medication to make them infertile and curb breeding. The department responded: "The Health Department does not use birth control as part of our vector control activities and has no plans to. Simply put, there's no research to show that it works to lower rat populations." The department declined an interview but stated its position in a statement.
Rat problems have drawn growing public attention in Philadelphia in recent years, especially in the Northeast. At the end of October, the city announced new steps in its rat control work: Adrian Jordan, a longtime Health Department employee, became Philadelphia's first rat abatement manager, coordinating the effort. The work also includes door-to-door surveys in Lower Northeast neighborhoods such as Oxford Circle and Castor Gardens to hear from residents. The owner of a local pest control company said the city's rat problem is getting worse, particularly in Northeast Philadelphia.
The city said it plans to launch a data dashboard tracking resident calls, complaints and properties serviced, making the work more transparent. The department's stance means Philadelphia will continue to rely on traditional rat control — environmental management, sealing burrows and baiting — rather than contraceptives. Residents who spot rat activity can file a complaint through city channels and request a visit from staff.
来源：费城卫生局
发布：GSM·美国（发布链接）
图片来源：图：费城市政厅塔楼。（底特律出版公司，美国国会图书馆藏，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons） / Photo: The tower of Philadelphia City Hall. (Detroit Publishing Co., Library of Congress, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
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