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

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

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