While Johannesburg mayor Parks Tau is hopeful that the Pikitup strike will end by the weekend‚ the uncollected rubbish and pests it has caused may take longer to clear up. In the meantime‚ residents of the city can protect themselves by making sure their homes are not attractive to pests‚ Professor John Frean of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said on Thursday.‘Presently no risk of bubonic plague in Johannesburg’‚ disease institute saysFrean said residents should be particularly careful about storing food‚ making sure that food is not on the floor and is kept in containers that rodents cannot chew through.Jozi mayor talks tough on rubbish strikersMore than 4 500 workers of refuse removal company Pikitup have been on strike for nearly five weeks‚ demanding a salary increase and the dismissal of Pikitup head Amanda Nair.Tau on Wednesday said that negotiations between Pikitup and the South African Municipal Workers Union were likely to yield “positive results” by the weekend‚ according to a statement.The NICD has said that the high population of flies and rodents caused by the uncollected refuse was a risk in high-density areas‚ such as Hillbrow and Alexandra‚ and informal settlements.According to Frean there are a number of infections associated with rodents.“A rodent bite can cause infections. There are also infections related to [the] faeces [of rodents] that might contaminate food or water [for human consumption]. There are also infections related to [rodents'] ectoparasites‚ like fleas‚ ticks and lice.” Frean said.CEO of the South African Pest Control Association Lynette Cokayne said businesses should implement integrated pest management plans to make sure premises are clean and pest free."Rodents can act as direct vectors for diseases such as the bubonic plague‚ leptospirosis and a number of others‚” she said.The NICD last month tested one rodent positive for exposure to the bubonic plague.This rodent was one of 13 submitted from Mayibuye in northern Johannesburg for testing in the NICD's nationwide monitoring programme for various rodent-borne diseases.The rodent's test results indicate past exposure to the plague‚ but does not indicate the presence of the plague in Johannesburg‚ the NICD said.Frean said there is no evidence of widespread disease in rodents which could pose a threat to humans in the city.Testing in Mayibuye has been intensified‚ but no more rodents have tested positive‚ Frean said.He also said that the City of Johannesburg had implemented measures to control the flea and rodent populations in the area.Gauteng Health Department spokesman Steve Mabona said no cases of diseases associated with the increase in Johannesburg's rat population have been identified since the strike started.The bubonic plague is transmitted by fleas that live on rodents. People can acquire the plague if bitten by an infected flea or through contact with dead rodents.The last local case of the plague in humans was recorded in the Eastern Cape in 1982...