Health in Malaysia
Leptospirosis is a water contract disease caused by bacteria of the genus Leptospirabacterial. It is a disease that affects both humans and animals. The number of leptospirosis cases had steadily increased from 2011 (2,268 cases with 55 death) to 2015 (8,291 cases with 78 death) and 5,284 cases with 52 death in 2016. Leptospirosis can have important health impact and is a burden to the nation if not well controlled. Addressing leptospisoris includes maintain a clean environment and by not swimming or wading in water that might be contaminated with animal urine, or eliminating contact with potentially infected animals.
Rat
Wild rodents, including rats, can carry many different zoonotic pathogens, such as "Leptospira", "Toxoplasma gondii", and "Campylobacter". The Black Death is traditionally believed to have been caused by the microorganism "Yersinia pestis", carried by the tropical rat flea ("Xenopsylla cheopis"), which preyed on black rats living in European cities during the epidemic outbreaks of the Middle Ages; these rats were used as transport hosts. Another zoonotic disease linked to the rat is foot-and-mouth disease.
The average lifespan of rats varies by species, but many only live about a year due to predation.