Sydney, Australia - The mouse plague in parts of Australia is getting so bad that a prison in southeastern part of the country had to be completely evacuated!

The measure was necessary to protect the health of staff and inmates, ABC News Australia reported.

"The mice are starting to decay and then mites are the next problem," said Peter Severin, a staff member at the detention center, which is near Wellington in the Australian state of New South Wales.

According to the Australian news agency AAP, the rodents caused damage to power lines and ceiling panels.

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As a result, 420 inmates and 200 staff are expected to be dispersed to other prisons in the region in the coming days until repairs are completed.

New South Wales has already been struggling for months with the worst plague of mice in about 40 years. The animals have destroyed tons of crops and can transmit dangerous diseases to humans.

From the beginning of January through the end of May, 57 cases of leptospirosis were reported, according to the state health department. It's a rare disease that can cause kidney failure and meningitis and is transmitted through the urine of mice. In all of 2020, there were only 11 cases reported by the department.