Pupils at a Welsh school where there is a reported rat infestation have been told to stay at home and learn online for two days. It follows reports that pupils spotted the animals in Ysgol Eirias, Colwyn Bay.
The school will be closed on Friday and Monday as the situation is dealt with, and a Christmas concert was also cancelled.
Originally, Conwy Council had said that the school would remain open, with only affected classrooms closed to allow a pest control company to work, but on Thursday (December 16) all pupils were told to say home because of "new developments".
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A letter from the school NorthWalesLive has reported says: "This is due to new developments learned this afternoon which suggest that isolation may be potentially difficult. Despite very limited additional new activity, the school will take no risks until all the details are firmly established."
The school's Christmas concert, which had been due to take place on Thursday evening, was also cancelled. The letter said: "The school will be working with the local authority in order to assess risk and plan appropriate actions."
A worried parent claimed the rats had been seen living in "papier-mâché volcanos" and abandoned toilets at the school.
Rats are known to carry numerous harmful diseases, including the hantavirus, leptospirosis, rat bite fever, rat tapeworm, and salmonellosis. Weil's disease is a form of leptospirosis contracted from the urine of infected rats.
The bacteria can enter the human body through cuts and scratches or through the mouth, eyes, and throat after contact with infected rat urine. Whilst Weil's disease is rare in the UK, without treatment, the disease can lead to kidney damage, liver failure, meningitis, respiratory failure, and occasionally death.
Two species of rat are found in the UK, the most common being Rattus Norvegicus, otherwise known as the brown rat or common rat. The other species is Rattus Rattus, often referred to as the black rat or the ship rat, which is much rarer in Britain.
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