There are many good reasons that you should hire a mouse removal service if you notice signs of a rodent infestation. Mice reproduce exponentially in a very short time, they can cause extensive property damage by gnawing on things, and they can make you sick. Learning more about the health risks associated with a mouse infestation can help keep you and your family healthy.

Diseases

Mice are responsible for outbreaks of some of the most deadly diseases humanity has ever known. Rodents were partially responsible for spreading the bubonic plague across Europe from 1347 to 1351. During that time, between 75 million and 200 million people died.

Plague is still around but, thanks to antibiotics, it isn’t as deadly as it used to be, and it is rare for humans to contract it nowadays. Nevertheless, mice can still spread other dangerous diseases to humans and could potentially prove fatal. 

Rat-bite fever is a bacterial infection that both rats and mice can spread to humans. Symptoms of RBF include muscle pain, fever, skin rash, and acute inflammation in the joints that causes pain. RBF can be treated with antibiotics, and it is rare for people to die from it. Nevertheless, young children, the elderly, and people with compromised immune systems are at risk of severe illness and possibly death from RBF.

Salmonella is another bacteria spread through rodent feces. It attacks the digestive tract and causes symptoms of cramping, nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, fever, and chills. Most people recover fully from salmonella, but those who are already vulnerable may experience more severe symptoms.

Hantavirus is probably the biggest health risk associated with mice infestation today. Because it is a virus, antibiotics don’t work against it. There is no vaccine against the hantavirus, and no antiviral medication has proven effective against it. In the early stages, hantavirus causes symptoms of muscle aches, fever, and fatigue. Headaches, nausea, dizziness, and chills are also possible. In later stages, hantavirus causes acute respiratory distress as the lungs fill with fluid. In this stage, patients require hospitalization for artificial respiration. Between 35% and 40% of people who contract hantavirus eventually die from it.

Food Contamination

One of the main ways that mice spread diseases to humans is by contaminating food. Rodents often excrete waste while eating or looking for food. If their feces or urine gets on your food, you can get sick from eating it. Mice can also contaminate food preparation surfaces with excrement, and the pathogens can spread to food that comes in contact with the surface.

Other Means of Transmission

Mice can spread diseases through direct contact with humans. As implied by the name rat-bite fever, they can spread diseases by biting you, but just handling a mouse may be sufficient to expose you to pathogens. Mice may also make contact without knowing it by crawling on you while you sleep.

Coming in contact with mouse excrement can expose you to diseases even if it does not contaminate your food. For example, the act of cleaning mouse droppings can stir up particles of aerosolized hantavirus that you can then breathe in. For this reason, you should use personal protective equipment, such as an N95 mask or respirator, when cleaning up rodent excrement, or leave it to the professionals.

Exposure to diseases can also happen indirectly through parasites. Fleas, ticks, and mites can all bite diseased mice and then bite humans or pets and spread the disease that way. This is how the bubonic plague spread during the Middle Ages.

Professional Mice Removal Service From Truly Nolen

The longer mice remain in your home, the greater health risks you are exposed to. When you turn to Truly Nolen for pest control in Brant County, we remove the rodents effectively, get rid of their parasites, and seal entries so they can’t come back. Learn more about all the services we offer in your area.