Rodents Have Been Associated with Numerous Severe Epidemics in the Past

Essay

Rodents have been associated with numerous severe epidemics in the past, prompting microbiologist Hans Zinsser in the 1930s to write a book, Rats, Lice, and History, in which he documented the important role of rodents in epidemics. Discuss why rodent control is still desirable, even in an age when it is perceived that the ʺmagic bulletsʺ of chemotherapy and immunization to control infectious disease are readily available.