BANGKOK, Thailand – The Department of Health has joined an inspection of a market in Samut Prakan province after an incident in which rats were found eating raw meat on a chopping board. The visit emphasized the need for strict sanitation standards in public markets and effective control of disease-carrying animals and insects. Authorities commended Samut Prakan City Municipality for its swift response and firm enforcement, which helped restore public confidence.
Department of Health Director-General Dr Amporn Benjaponpitak said the incident represents a serious food sanitation issue. Rats, cockroaches, and flies can spread disease through direct contact and through urine and feces, contaminating food and surfaces. Such exposure can cause food poisoning, Salmonella infection, gastrointestinal illness, and leptospirosis, with possible complications affecting the liver and kidneys. Other risks include murine typhus, rat-bite fever, and plague, with children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems facing greater danger.
The director of Health Center 6 in Chonburi said the center’s SEhRT team worked with the provincial public health office and local agencies to verify the situation and advise market operators. The team stressed strict adherence to health and safety laws and requirements to prevent similar incidents.
Samut Prakan City Municipality reported that the market holds a valid operating license and is subject to regular inspections. Routine cleaning is underway, and a professional pest control company has been hired to manage rodent activity. After the incident, authorities ordered stronger sanitation measures across the site.
Market operators have also been directed to increase cleaning frequency, strengthen rodent and insect control, disinfect stalls and chopping boards with approved agents, improve waste and food scrap management, and clean drainage systems to remove breeding areas. (NNT)
