People then talked about strategizing against rats, setting extremely sophisticated traps, or fortifying houses against small but annoying enemies. Six months have passed, the number of rats has once again increased sharply, despite thousands of tons of rat poison used, not to mention a terrible flood that swept across the east coast of the country. Rats are no longer an enemy to be eradicated, they seem to have become annoying black fluffy clouds that move everywhere where people have to learn to live together, according to the report. Guardian . Nightmare The nightmare that Australia is experiencing is known as the “rat epidemic”, caused by huge populations of house mice. The house mouse was brought to Australia by Europeans in 1788. Since then, rat epidemics have occurred several times in Australia when conditions are favorable, with increasing frequency. This year, the situation became so serious that the New South Wales state government had to announce an emergency relief package of 50 million USD for people to fight the rat epidemic, including money for rat poison research, drug support. mouse and rat traps up to $1,000 per small business and $500 per household. Dead rat in a farmer’s warehouse in Walgett. Photo: Guardian. But for many people, the support is nothing compared to the damage the rats cause. “We were away for four weeks and had relatives check the house every day. There was a period of about four days when no one came to look, and in those four days, they were all over the house,” said Louise McCabe, resident in the town of Tallimba, said. When relatives were asked to open the door by McCabe, thousands of rats were inside. “They chewed up the new carpet, they ate the wooden floor. The oven they broke. They ate the insulation inside the dishwasher,” McCabe said. McCabe later discovered rats nesting inside pillows on lounge chairs, crawling into kitchen cabinets, destroying electrical circuits. Damages totaled up to $30,000. The climax was when the woman put the clothes soaked in rat urine into the washing machine. When she returned, she discovered a dead rat had swollen inside the glass. Meanwhile, a farmer named Ben Storer living in Walgett, said that 800 hectares of his sorghum has been destroyed by the herd, causing damage up to 200,000 USD. Rats attack every part of Storer’s farm, from the grain barn and the mill to the swimming pool’s filter pipe. At the height of the rat epidemic, thousands of dead rats were found every time Mr. Storer used a grinder to grind the grain he harvested. Baiting is the only measure that can be deployed on a large scale to control rat populations. As a result, in the worst-affected towns, the smell of urine and dead rats was overwhelming. Local residents described the smell of rotting rats as “unbearable”. “With poison, we can kill 100,000 rats a night. But the next morning, another 200,000 will come back,” Mr. Storer said. “No one understands the rat epidemic until they’ve experienced it. No one understands the extreme stench, vandalized furniture. Rats eat all the insulation in the air conditioning system, eat the wires on the roof, corrode parts of the circuit board,” said John Southon, principal of Trundle Central High School. Winter hope While local residents seem to have given up on the fight against rats, New South Wales authorities have stepped in. Experts say they have successfully developed a rat poison that can turn the tide of the current war. A new rat poison using a super toxic chemical called bromadiolone is being approved for emergency use by the New South Wales government. However, scientists warn the drug can be dangerous for native animals that eat the dead rat. Steven Henery, broaching expert with the Australian Agency for Science and Industrial Research, said the coming winter would be an opportunity for humans to put an end to the current rat epidemic. “My hope is that winter will slow down the birth rate of mice, and that only a very small number of mice will survive,” said Henery. One of the real concerns, Mr. Henery warned, is that the rat population has a high winter survival rate, and if the weather conditions are favorable the following spring, they will start to thrive again. Farmers burn fields after harvesting to destroy the rat’s food source. Photo: Guardian. “In August, farmers need to go out to their fields, look for signs of infestation. If they find any, then they will have to kill them before the breeding season. property arrives,” Mr. Henry said. Any human rat eradication strategy will only be able to reduce the rat population to a certain extent. Experts say that to be able to overcome the rat epidemic, humans will have to wait for the help of natural phenomena that are really terrible for mice. “The very large number of individuals interacting with each other increases the risk of disease transmission. When this phenomenon occurs at the same time they run out of food, they will fall ill and start eating each other, eating the animals. young. That’s when their whole growth system collapses,” said Mr. Henery. But until that day comes, people will have to keep setting traps, laying baits, and praying the weather will turn bitter cold. “I can only pray for freezing cold. That’s all I can do right now,” McCabe said.

The girl innocently went through many harsh events of fate.

Challenge of fate

Born in 1999 in Hoang Chau commune (Cat Hai island district, Hai Phong), fishermen’s parents are fishermen day and night, often stay away for a month, since the age of 1, Phuong has lived with his grandmother and uncle. . When Phuong was 8 years old, his older brother was 16 years old, his parents were permanently away from the sea once. Phuong was brought up by her uncle, then raised by her grandmother.

During her childhood years, her grandmother and her whole family were the people who always stood by Phuong. Until Phuong entered 10th grade, her grandmother also passed away due to serious illness.

The pain of losing her has not ceased, in 2016, while in grade 11, a terrible accident struck, Phuong broke his left leg, his right arm was crushed so he had to have surgery to remove it. The body and mind are both hurt, the mentality of the 16-year-old girl is unsteady, unsteady and uncertain. There was a time when Phuong was depressed and wanted to give up all.

“At that time, I thought I had nothing to lose, the people I loved most had left, and this was what happened to me. The last moon is also composed, then die for everyone to be less miserable ”, Phuong recounted the saddest, most desperate moment.

Can’t give up

During the long treatment at the hospital, when she was calmer, Phuong “enlightened”: “If heaven has been challenged, he cannot surrender”.

Looking at the situation of the people in the same hospital room, she felt that she was still luckier than many people, because there were family members trying to cure her; I am still young, I can still try.

Not surrendering to the test of fate, the young girl began a series of days of struggle to overcome both physical and mental pain. In the hospital for 18 days, undergoing painful treatments, facing the pitiful eyes of the world, Phuong accepted the truth: his life from now on has only one arm left.

Being right-handed, now losing that arm, Phuong has to learn how to do things with his left hand to adapt to the situation. She gets used to all activities and practice writing, determined to continue going to school.

After leaving the hospital, Phuong persistently practiced writing and daily activities with his left hand.

Working with your left hand is difficult, practicing writing with your left hand is even more difficult. Many nights, her arm seems numb, the hand in pain can no longer hold a pen, but, determined to “learn a new person, learn a strong new one”, Phuong is even more determined to return to the classroom, even though she has to undergo through many difficulties ahead.

“When I first got back to school, I just wanted to cry, cry because of the intense hand pain, cry because the writing was not fast to catch up with my friends. When I finished crying, I tried to practice again because I couldn’t just take it.” Body defect is the reason to be lazy “- Phuong shared.

Sometimes, Phuong feels inferior in the eyes of people with disabilities, but with her strongest will, she persists in her study path to prove to everyone that she is not a useless person, no. surrender to fate.

Once a student who specializes in exams with clean words, Phuong tried her best to practice writing with his left hand, determined not to quit school after losing his right hand in an accident.

Then, Phuong graduated from Cat Hai High School. The young girl who has adopted the dream of becoming a pharmacist with the desire to alleviate the pain for the patient should choose the pharmacy major of Ha Dong Medical College to suit her academic capacity and ability to meet her future job.

“When I first studied, I felt sorry for myself and at times was discouraged. I have to bear the scrutiny of everyone, trying to mingle with you. Furthermore, many practical lessons have to be done with two hands, since there is only one side left, so I have to work twice as hard as the others …

However, pursuing a dream is the greatest joy. The most memorable memory is the direct participation in the preparation of drugs, I have the experience of feeling like a real pharmacist, encouraged by teachers and friends to overcome all difficulties. At that time, I was sure that studying pharmacy was the right choice, “said Phuong, about the challenging student days with both pensive and proud feelings.

Currently, Phuong graduated from Ha Dong Medical College after 3 years studying and is working in a pharmacy in Hanoi.

Graduating from a college in pharmacy since November 2020, Phuong is currently working for a pharmacy in Hanoi.

Want to live not just for yourself

“Currently, my daily life or work is done quite well with my left hand, no longer hurts. I’m happy that everyone around me looks at me like a normal person, not a disabled person. “, Phuong said.

Sharing about her future plans, Phuong wishes to participate in more volunteer projects to help the children who have had an unlucky fate.

Thanh Phuong participates in volunteer activities, helping children at Tan Trieu K Hospital with Hoa Uu Dam Club and students from Ha Dong Medical College.

“That pretty girl laughs very often. Through many times of losing loved ones and having such serious accidents, Phuong has surpassed all with energy and bravery. Not everyone is determined enough to reach out.” In my opinion, she is very good, admirable! “, Mrs. Hoan – Phuong’s neighbor emotionally shared.

Looking back on past events, Thanh Phuong re-contemplates life with very optimistic thoughts: “After all, I see more than I lost. When I was so tired, wanted to give up, I thought, gave up.” That is a waste of “work” that parents have sacrificed. Thinking that the destination is ahead, coming to the destination, the positive energy will come and will definitely succeed. If it is sunny, the stormy day will turn blue. If there is only one life to live, I want to live not only for myself “.