Most homeowners know the harm rodents can cause to their house. As they seek warmth, sustenance and suitable conditions to set up their nests, rodents help themselves to your stored food and cause structural damage to your house.
They can rip into your insulation to use in their nests and chew through the electrical wiring and wooden frame of your house. This damage creates major safety issues and incurs massive repair costs.
The damage to your home isn’t the only hazard of a rodent infestation. Health problems can arise from the contact you have with them as they try to share your space. It is important to understand how rodent infestations can affect your health so that you can identify the issues and take steps to prevent them.
How Rodents Can Infect You
There are a number of diseases identified as being spread by rats and mice. Some are spread directly through handling their bodies, from rodent bites and through contact with their waste. They can also have an indirect effect if you are bitten by other pests, such as fleas, ticks or mosquitoes, that made prior contact with an infected rodent.
Since rodents are able to squeeze their bodies through holes as small as dimes, sealing your house and food supply is essential to prevent the spread of disease. If you encounter any dead rodents or waste, handle them with protective gear and use disinfecting cleaners on any contaminated surfaces.
What Diseases Do They Spread?
It’s common to have allergic reactions when rodents are present, but rats and mice have also been linked to the spread of many incredibly serious diseases. Some of the most dangerous diseases rodents directly spread include:
- Hantavirus, spread primarily through droppings, can cause severe and sometimes fatal respiratory illness.
- Lymphocytic choriomeningitis progresses from flu-like symptoms to meningitis and encephalitis.
- Rat-bite fever, spread through direct contact with an infected rodent, causes flu-like symptoms and can be potentially fatal.
Indirect infections caused by common pests can also cause serious health problems. Infected fleas and ticks have transmitted diseases including the plague and tularemia, both of which cause severe symptoms, bodily discomfort and, in the case of the plague, death if not treated quickly.
Trust a Professional Rodent Control Service – Ideal Pest Control
Rodent infestations should be cause for concern, as they quickly endanger your family’s health and the integrity of your home. Our team has been servicing communities in Georgia for nearly 50 years, and we take pride in the quality and permanence of the solutions we provide. Contact Ideal Pest Control today if you would like more information on rodent prevention or to schedule an appointment with one of our experts.
