Most people don’t like seeing a rodent in their homes. It may not produce the cartoon response of jumping on the table but it often results in being frozen in fear. The good news is that rodents generally try to avoid humans, although when there is a plague of them they have been known to bite human feet.
One thing is certain, if you spot one mouse or rat in your home there are likely to be many more. The best thing you can do is call the exterminators and get them to deal with the issue for you. They have the equipment and experience to resolve your rodent problem quickly. You can check out your local pest control here.
If you’re not convinced that rodents are a major issue then consider the health risks they bring with them.
Hantavirus
This can cause death although thankfully cases ending in death are rare. You don’t have to touch an infected mouse to get this disease, simply accidentally inhaling urine, saliva, or droppings from the rodents is enough.
You will experience fatigue, fever, headaches, muscle aches, and even abdominal pain.
Bubonic Plague
This is generally referred to as the black death and killed millions of people in the Middle Ages. It is easily spread and often deadly.
Although cases are rarer now, it still exists. The plague also gives you a fever, headaches, swollen lymph nodes, and muscle aches.
Salmonellosis
This is a type of food poisoning but it’s not just got from food. Rodents carry the disease with them and you can contract it by touching or consuming something that a rodent has already run across.
You’ll get severe stomach pains, diarrhoea, and fever. The good news is that this isn’t usually fatal.
Rat-Bite Fever
This is another disease that can kill. You’ll experience vomiting, fever, headaches, muscle pains, and are likely to develop a rash. Again, you only have to touch or consume something that a rodent has run across.
This isn’t an exhaustive list, there are many other diseases that are carried by rodents. They can make you a little ill or seriously ill.
How They Spread Disease So Easily
Rodents tend to pass urine and droppings as they run. In most cases, the droppings are small and the urine simply drops. That makes it easy not to notice them.
All you have to do is touch their droppings or urine and your fingers will be contaminated. If you then touch your face or prepare food with the same hand, you’ll be passing the bacteria into your body.
That’s why rodents in your house need to be dealt with promptly, you should always wash your hands before preparing meals, and you should try to keep your hands away from your face.
This will reduce the likelihood of you contracting any disease a rodent has.
Of course, sealing your home to make it hard for rodents to get in help, as does keeping your food in sealed containers.
