Are Rat-Borne Diseases Life Threatening?

Did you see a rat in your house? If so, chances are there are a bunch of them already. Letting them live in your house may cause not only health problems, but also property damage. Rodents are potential carriers of life-threatening diseases and you do not want to be that person who may get an infection. With the help of an animal control expert, you can get rid of rodents successfully and humanely.

Rodent Diseases

Some rat-borne diseases are potentially life threatening, knowing what these are will help you prevent it from spreading.

Hantavirus

The Hantavirus can be spread through other ways, but rodent infestation in the house remains one of the primary risks. A person may get an infection when fresh rodent nesting materials, urine or droppings are stirred up somehow in the home.  When airborne, a person may breathe these in and become infected with the disease. It is also possible to get this disease through a rodent bite.

Symptoms of this disease develop between one and five weeks after exposure to fresh droppings, urine or saliva of an infected rat or any rodent. Hantavirus may progress to Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome which is a severe respiratory illness that is rare but can be deadly.

Plague

This disease is infamous for sweeping across Europe and claiming millions of lives during the Middle Ages. Humans may get this disease when an infected rodent flea bites them or when they handle an infected animal. The symptoms of this illness include:

·      Sudden onset of fever

·      Chills

·      Weakness

·      One or more swollen, painful and tender lymph nodes called buboes

A person may also get this fatal disease from contact with contaminated tissue or fluid. A form of this illness is septicemic plague, potentially fatal septic shock with fever, chills, abdominal pain, shock, extreme weakness and possible bleeding into the organs and skin are some of its symptoms. This may be the first sign of the plague or may develop because a person failed to get treatment immediately.

Another form is pneumonic plague, which may develop after you breathe in droplets that contain bacteria. Patients with this illness develop weakness, fever, headache, chest pain, shortness of breath and cough. The pneumonia that develops may lead to shock and respiratory failure. This type is the most severe form of plague and is the only one that may transmit from person to person.

Plague is a serious disease, but it is treatable with antibiotics. However, failure to get treatment immediately may cause death.

How Can You Remove Rodents?

Rodents are manageable pests that you can easily remove from your property, if you hire a wildlife control expert.

Animal removers have the training and gear to remove all types of rodents in a humane manner. They will look for the den and remove the animals they find; as much as possible they will not harm the animals during the process. Animal control experts will make sure no trace of the rodents is left in your property.