Dangers of Rodents in San Angelo

Winter can make staying healthy a challenge, especially with cold and flu season in full force. To make matters worse, rodents present another risk to both your health and home. Every winter, approximately 21 million homes in the U.S. face rodent infestations, leading to issues far more concerning than just inconvenience. As the temperatures drop, rodents enter homes in search of warmth, food, and shelter, often squeezing through small cracks. The real threats lie in the diseases they can spread and the significant damage they can cause.

Protecting your home and health starts with contacting a rodent extermination expert as soon as you notice signs of an infestation.

Specific Illnesses Caused by Rats and Mice

Mice and rat droppings can build up, leading to the spread of bacteria, contamination of food, and triggering allergic reactions in people. Once these droppings dry out, they can become airborne and inhaled, making the situation even more hazardous. These droppings pose a risk of spreading numerous diseases and viruses, such as:

• Hantavirus: Hantavirus (HPS) is a serious respiratory disease that can be fatal, caused by inhaling dust tainted with the urine, droppings, or saliva of infected rodents, particularly deer mice. Initial symptoms include fever, fatigue, and muscle aches, which can worsen into severe breathing problems as the lungs become filled with fluid.
• Leptospirosis: Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease spread through contact with water or soil tainted by the urine of infected animals, particularly rats. While it often causes flu-like symptoms like fever, headaches, and muscle pain, severe cases can result in kidney or liver damage, meningitis, or respiratory distress.
• Salmonellosis: By contaminating food or water with their feces, rats and mice can cause salmonellosis, a bacterial infection that triggers gastrointestinal symptoms like diarrhea, abdominal pain, and fever, which can result in dehydration, particularly in young children and older adults.
• Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis: Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis (LCMV) is a viral infection transmitted via exposure to urine, droppings, or saliva from infected rodents, particularly house mice. It can lead to flu-like symptoms like fever, headaches, and muscle pain, with severe cases sometimes progressing to meningitis or encephalitis.
• Rat-Bite Fever: Rat-Bite Fever (RBF) is a bacterial illness that can be transmitted via bites or scratches from infected rats, as well as through contact with contaminated surfaces. Symptoms typically involve fever, rash, vomiting, and joint pain. Untreated cases may result in serious complications, such as heart or brain infections.
• Bubonic Plague: While the occurrence of the plague is rare today, rats and their fleas remain potential carriers of Yersinia pestis, the bacterium responsible for the disease. It can present in different forms, such as bubonic or pneumonic, with symptoms that include fever, swollen lymph nodes, and severe respiratory difficulties.

Property Damage Caused by Rats and Mice

Rodents pose a threat to both health and property, often damaging attic insulation, and chewing through walls, cardboard, wood, and even electrical wiring. This destructive behavior is responsible for up to 25 percent of house fires in the U.S. each year. Due to their fast reproduction, a minor rodent issue can quickly escalate into a serious infestation. Homeowners should focus on prevention to keep these pests out. Key warning signs include hearing scurrying noises overhead, spotting droppings in seldom-used spaces, or discovering gnawed food in the kitchen.

Suspect an infestation? Get in touch with Bug Express for expert care and trusted pest control solutions.