Diseases Carried by House Rats: 4 Health Dangers at Home
Diseases carried by rats include hantavirus, HFRS, plague and rat bite fever. Learn the symptoms and why catching rats at home matters for your health.
It is no secret that house rats are a nuisance to people. The most immediate effects are food that goes missing and objects gnawed full of holes. Through that food, you may catch a virus or bacteria the rats left on it. Catching rats at home has to be done effectively and efficiently if you want to avoid a range of diseases. Read on to find out!
Diseases Rats Can Pass On to Humans
- Hantavirus
First discovered in 1993, this virus is greatly feared. It spreads fairly quickly, through inhaling particles from rat droppings, saliva and urine. You can also be infected by touching, or eating something that has come into direct contact with, this rodent. Symptoms are flu-like: fever, headache, diarrhea, vomiting or stomach pain, lasting 4 to 10 days.
- Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS)
This virus is quite frightening because it attacks the body with fever accompanied by bleeding and kidney syndrome. If rats at home are not caught effectively, the whole family can catch HFRS. It spreads much like the previous disease, with an incubation period of about 2 to 8 weeks. The acute symptoms often seen are low blood pressure, acute shock and kidney failure.
- Plague
Plague is a fairly complex disease because it is caused not only by rodents but also by the fleas on their bodies. When a rat carries fleas, they can easily pass to humans and spread dangerous bacteria. Plague patients are usually found in crowded areas with poor waste disposal systems. A common symptom is swollen lymph nodes in the armpit, neck or groin.
- Rat Bite Fever (RBF)
This disease is caused by a rat bite on your skin, which leads to infection. The infection comes from two kinds of bacteria, Spirillum minus and Streptobacillus moniliformis. Failing to catch rats at home is one of the main reasons it happens. Patients experience unusual symptoms such as fever, vomiting, headache, joint and muscle pain, and a rash on the skin.
Rats living inside the house often unsettle the people who live there, so they should be wiped out right away. This pest can cause many diseases, such as plague, hantavirus, HFRS and RBF. All four come from interacting with rats or with food they have touched. That is why using Cap Gajah traps is the best solution for avoiding dangerous diseases and keeping pests out of your home for good.
