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Jules Vasquez reporting
The Western Regional Hospital has no door - and it is at ground level. The emergency entrance is also wide open - open for rats:

Mark Bernard, Senior Public Health Inspector
"What is contributing to this problem is that this hospital is an old institution. It is on the ground level. As a matter of fact rats walk in just like how patients walk in. It's on the ground floor. There is nothing to really keep them from getting in."

But the rat that found its way into this incubator didn't walk in - he probably slipped in through here - this break in the wall of the nursery for air conditioner piping:

Mark Bernard, Senior Public Health Inspector
"The area where the baby was is a very clean area. The only opening is the vent and probably that is a common mistake that sometimes these contractors do when they bore holes. You'd see it in plumbing and they don't seal that area properly, roaches, rats can actually gain access to inside of the building. So the steps that we are looking at right now is to seal all opening in critical areas."

But, we did a walk through with the western region administrator and they can seal all they want, the 40 year old building is decrepit from the ceiling to the doors - and rats can come in from all sides.

Mark Bernard, Senior Public Health Inspector
"We've gone from a heavy infestation to now we are down to almost a minimal infestation. The guy that was doing the eradication for us, he picked up about 15 of them. So the activities are down. We are not seeing them as much. We look for traces of rat droppings and we don't find that."

But they found a real rat right in her on Friday morning - biting on a newborn's toe:

Jules Vasquez
"There was a new born child, born yesterday to a young woman and we received a report that a rodent, a rat had bitten the newborn's foot. What do you all know about this?"

Bernadette Seaver, Administrator - Western Regional
"Yes, indeed it occurred this morning and the pediatrician was called in immediately to address the matter."

Jules Vasquez
"What precisely do you know about the wellbeing or condition of the child?"

Bernadette Seaver, Administrator - Western Regional
"The pediatrician gave all clearance. The child was well taken care of and stable and mother and child are doing well."

Jules Vasquez
"What is the extent of injury? Just visual. I know you are not a doctor, but just visual did the rat take a piece of flesh, did it break the skin?"

Bernadette Seaver, Administrator - Western Regional
"Not at all. It did not tear the flesh at all, but for privacy and confidentiality of the patient, we don't wish to speak any more about the patient."

Jules Vasquez
"Are we talking about a mouse or are we talking about a rat? We know that you've had rat problems here before."

Mark Bernard, Senior Public Health Inspector
"In my estimation based on what I was told and a look at the room, I think it was a small one - probably a little rat."

A small rat - alongside a small baby, a jarring and disturbing image. They believe the rat squirmed into the incubator right through here where you can see a tear in the lower opening.

The rats are probably looking for food because the pantry - where they once feasted has been completely re-done - and sealed bins installed to make sure food is stored safely:

Mark Bernard, Senior Public Health Inspector
"We have clear out the pantry properly. We have resurfaced the floor, the areas of the walls where the rats gain entry, those were plastered, tiled - it's beautiful, it's clean inside, it's spacious. There are no areas where they can visible hide."

Bernadette Seaver, Administrator - Western Regional
"We are doing all that we can do make sure that this doesn't happen again. Not in the nursery, not in any other part of hospital, because we want to get rid of the rat population."

They want to get rid of the rats, but conceded that they can only do so much

Mark Bernard, Senior Public Health Inspector
"We have a little more way to go, but definitely we have spent a lot of money in trying to get it under control."

Jules Vasquez
"You probably have rats at Western Regional still...."

Mark Bernard, Senior Public Health Inspector
"I will not guarantee you even after we have done the campaign that we will get rid of all, but the point is that you want to keep it at a bare minimum so that - in order words you might see them outside the building but not inside the building, because you are not going to get rid of rats. That's a fact."

The mother and her newborn have been checked out of the hospital.

The child was born with a slight respiratory infection and that is why he was put in the respirator. The rat bite was on his toe.