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A federally funded rat control project is being conducted by the Vector Control Section, California State Department of Health in cooperation with local health agencies in the Sari Francisco Bay Area. Four community demonstration areas were selected in urban poverty areas in the region. The objective of each demonstration program is to reduce the rat infestation to a level that will not have significant adverse health or economic effect. Environmental improvement and community participation are emphasized. Concurrent studies are being conducted to determine the status of anticoagulant resistance, the occurrence of rodent-borne diseases, and the significance of rat infestations in sewer systems. The information gained from the project will provide improved methods and management criteria for rat control programs in the San Francisco Bay Area and other areas of the State with similar rodent problems.