Bedridden pensioner eaten by mice

Aussie war veteran's ears chewed by mouse

12:43PM Thursday Apr 30, 2009
Petrina Berry

BRISBANE - A bedridden war veteran was found on Anzac Day with bloody ears, hands, face and neck after being "severely chewed" by swarming mice at a southwest Queensland nursing home.

Opposition MP Ray Hopper said Queensland Health had been slow to respond to a mouse plague at the Dalby Hospital, which includes a nursing home, leading to the attack on the 89-year-old man.

The man's daughter said staff found her father bleeding from bites to his head, neck, ears and hands on Anzac Day, Mr Hopper said.

"The top of his ears were severely chewed and he had bites to his head and neck," Mr Hopper told AAP.

"His hands were covered in blood because he was trying to get the mice off him.

"We are talking about a health facility overrun by vermin. It's atrocious."

Mr Hopper said the man was so distressed that doctors had put him on morphine to calm him down.

"Here we have a man who has served his country and this is the thanks he gets," he said.

Mr Hopper said it was normal to see an increase in mice in Dalby and the Darling Downs at the onset of winter, and the problem was handled with chemical sprays.

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"But the bureaucrats said no sprays this year because it uses agricultural chemicals, and that's not allowed to happen at a health facility," he said.

"They are now baiting twice a day but it's too late."

Queensland Health has rostered on extra staff and pest control agents since the weekend to kill mice at the home.

Federal Ageing Minister Justine Elliott said she was disturbed by the report of the elderly man's ordeal, but there was no need to evacuate residents at the home.

"There has been action taken in terms of the eradication measures that are in place - we are closely monitoring it," Ms Elliott said.

"If we ever do find a situation where we do find it's required to evacuate people, we do that very, very swiftly. That's our main concern, but we are closely monitoring the situation."

- AAP