Most city residents complain about the same things, like taxes, the condition of the city streets, crime, the cost of utilities, and the safety of their water supply. But low-income residents in Baltimore, Maryland have another kind of problem that is so bad, it now ranks as their biggest complaint.
Rats and trash
The problem was uncovered as researchers from Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health began a study of impoverished neighborhoods. The study was supposed to help reduce drug and sex risk among low-income residents. But after they interviewed 448 Baltimore residents, they quickly found out that the biggest complaint was rats and trash. Specifically, researchers found that residents who consider rats to be a big problem were 72 percent more likely to have depression than those who live in similar neighborhoods where there are no problems with rats.
The same neighborhoods also had problems with crime, vacant housing and the sale of drugs, but the rat problems seemed to escalate their depression. These residents reported seeing rats every day on their property.
The city responds
The city did respond by distributing new garbage cans with lids that would prevent rats from infiltrating the areas and invading trash cans. According to The Baltimore Sun, it's a $10 million project that is already under way and seeing results in some neighborhoods. But only time will tell if that's the real solution to the problem!
Read more at www.fusion.net/story/281817/baltimore-rat-problem/
