Most employees or customers feel alarmed when they see rats and start to doubt the standard of the health and hygiene of the particular business. A business may also suffer damage to goods and may even be forced to close its doors for a while. Post this Furthermore, on the 20th March 2014, the City of Cape Town issued a press statement, " Waste management key to reducing rat population ", appealing to communities to "dispose of their waste responsibly as this is a key contributing factor to the size of the rat population." Capetonians and Durbanites alike would do well to follow this advice, as rats are associated with asthma, rabies and Lyme disease, as well as the spread of viruses and parasites. Rentokil, a household name for professional pest control in South Africa, advises that a rodent infestation in commercial or industrial buildings can have a detrimental effect on the reputation of a business, whether it's a restaurant, shopping complex or factory.