How Rats Make You Sick
Many believe that rats can't make them sick unless they are bitten, scratched, or come into direct contact with rat droppings.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Rats in the home can make you ill even if you never see one face-to-face.
The Most Common Rodent-Born Illness
Hantavirus, or HPS, is the most common disease you'll find when rats and mice are in the home. Breathing in the virus is the most common means of infection.
Symptoms include fatigue and fever. You should watch out for muscle aches in the thighs, hips, back, and shoulders. These symptoms are often, but not always, followed by headaches, dizziness, chills, nausea, and diarrhea.
Eventually, you'll have trouble breathing because your lungs will fill with fluid, which can be fatal: HPS has a mortality rate of 38%. If you're experiencing any of these symptoms, you should get to a doctor ASAP!
Cleaning Up After Rats
After we help you remove rodents from your home, we will typically recommend companies to help you clean up the mess. That's because it's not all that safe for y you to clean up after rats yourself.
If you decide to handle the cleanup on your own, it's imperative to wear a mask and rubber gloves. Spray urine and droppings with a disinfectant. Get them soaking wet so particles can't go airborne, then let them soak for five minutes.
Wipe the area with a paper towel and then go over it with another disinfectant.
Wash your hands after completing the job. Never vacuum up droppings, as vacuuming will put all those particles right into the air.
You'll use a similar process if you find a dead rat. Soak the body with disinfectant or a mixture of bleach and water. Place the body in a plastic bag, seal it, put it in a second bag, close it, and throw it into a trash can. Empty the trash can as soon as possible.
Stay Safe and Get Help Fast
Rats carry up to 26 serious diseases. If you suspect they're in your home, you need to have them removed fast.
Contact Elite Wildlife to get help today.
The Most Common Rodent-Born Illness
Hantavirus, or HPS, is the most common disease you'll find when rats and mice are in the home. Breathing in the virus is the most common means of infection.
Symptoms include fatigue and fever. You should watch out for muscle aches in the thighs, hips, back, and shoulders. These symptoms are often, but not always, followed by headaches, dizziness, chills, nausea, and diarrhea.
Eventually, you'll have trouble breathing because your lungs will fill with fluid, which can be fatal: HPS has a mortality rate of 38%. If you're experiencing any of these symptoms, you should get to a doctor ASAP!
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Can House Rats Hurt You?
People have been dealing with rat infestations as long as there have been cities. Rats enjoy living close to where the people are.
Continue readingAre Rats Dangerous?
Rats are some of the most dangerous creatures you can have in your home. They carry disease, cause structure damage, and can even cause fires by chewing through the wires in your attic.
Even if a rat doesn't bite or scratch you directly they can still harm your health. Their urine and feces can cause allergies and asthma attacks.
They're fast, they're smart, and they talk to each other. They can even wriggle up your toilet if they're feeling determined!
More people in Houston have to worry about them than ever now, because the rat population in America is growing steadily.
Rats carry over 15,000 human diseases and do so both directly and indirectly. These diseases include:
- Lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCMV)
- Bubonic plague
- Typhus
- Hantavirus
- Salmonellosis
- Pneumonic Plague
- Leptospirosis
- Tularemia
- Rat Bite Fever
- Omsk Hemorrhagic Fever
- Lassa Fever
- South American Arenaviruses
- Colorado Tick Fever
- Lyme Disease
- Scrub Typhus
- Rickettsialpox
- West Nile Virus
Yes, bubonic plague still exists! It did not die out completely in the Middle Ages.
Several of these diseases can, of course, be fatal to you and your family.
As you’ve seen, you can get very sick. While you may luck out and walk away from a rat bite or scratch with little more than a small, irritating wound, it’s important to see a doctor right away.
There’s a good chance you’ll need to be tested for diseases and there’s an even better chance you’ll need antibiotics.
If you decide to take a “wait and see” approach you should head to the doctor immediately if you start experiencing joint pain, fever, chills, muscle pains, headaches, skin rashes, vomiting, or diarrhea. It’s also a good idea to head to the doctor if you see pus at the skin wound, or any kind of skin rash. Be sure to keep the wound exceedingly clean.
While you might be tempted to kill the rat that bit you, the truth is that killing rats doesn’t help to remove them from your home. When you see one, there are generally many more that you haven’t found. All you are doing is harming one small, intelligent animal who is trying to survive just like you are.
We use humane rat removal efforts to block off all of the methods of egress into your home. We trap the rats and then take them somewhere that they can live their little rat lives without harming humans.
We also teach you how to keep the rats from coming back.
In short, you don’t have to live with these ferocious little pests, but you don’t have to hurt them either. Indeed, it’s best if you don’t try to handle them on your own, as that can put you into direct conflict with them and put you at risk.
Need help with rats? Live in the Houston Metro area? Call Elite Wildlife! We can help you handle rats safely so you can get back to enjoying your home.
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