Although they seem little and benign, mice can seriously endanger human health by bearing a great variety of diseases. Whether you find one crawling across your floor or hear them rustling in your attic, it’s clear why homeowners want to make sure they don’t let these tiny invaders share their house.
Once entrenched, it is difficult to eradicate a single mouse; they can multiply quickly and cause a full infestation in weeks. Although the eradication of mice seems like a must-fix, knowledge of the diseases these pests transmit gives the operation more urgency. Not only does keeping mice out of your house save food and furniture, but it also shields your family’s health.
Let’s look at some of the typical ailments mice can carry and discuss why quick elimination of these pests should be given top attention.
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS)
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) is among the most lethal illnesses mice can pass on to humans. Mostly deer mice, this virus is transmitted through the droppings, urine, or saliva of sick rodents. You also don’t need to come into physical touch with the rat; inhaling dust infected with rodent excrement will enough start an illness.
HPS starts off like flu—fever, muscle pains, tiredness—but can rapidly aggravate and cause respiratory failure. The actual risk is that, without quick treatment, HPS can be lethal. Eliminating mice becomes imperative here since even the traces of their nesting materials and droppings could cause problems long after the mice are gone. Not only the living animals but also all signs of mice must be eradicated by thorough cleaning and expert pest control actions.
Leptospirosis
Another illness carried by mice and rats usually through their urine is leptospirosis. Since this bacterial illness can endure in water or soil for weeks or even months, if a mouse urinates in a given region, the risk of infection remains. Direct contact with polluted water, soil, or food or breaches in the skin—such as minor cuts or abrasions—can both cause infection in humans.
Mild, flu-like symptoms to more severe disorders like liver or kidney damage, meningitis, or respiratory problems can all be indications of leptospirosis. Given houses with children or pets who might come into touch with infected surfaces, it is clear why mouse treatment is a necessary first step in stopping the spread of this disease.
Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV)
Another virus mice can carry is lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), most usually found in common house mice. It is transmitted, like Hantavirus, by coming into touch with mouse urine, droppings, or saliva. Still, one can also get it by breathing polluted dust.
Pregnant women especially should be careful with LCMV since it can result in major birth abnormalities or even miscarriages. People with pre-existing medical disorders or compromised immune systems also run more danger of having serious problems. In homes where there are fragile people or pregnant women, mice eradication is especially crucial since even small interactions with regions contaminated by mice can result in major health hazards.
Salmonellosis
It is well known that mice can contaminate food. They gnaw on your food, hide in your cabinet, and leave behind drips that could harbour salmonella. This bacterium causes salmonellosis, a common form of food poisoning.
Eating food infested by rodents can cause fever, stomach discomfort, and diarrhoea. Their symptoms are unpleasant for most people, but they are tolerable. Though it can worsen in young children, the elderly, and people with compromised immune systems, the sickness is manageable.
The major things that will determine your capacity to avoid this horrible disease are your ability to keep your kitchen clean and ensure that any mouse evidence is removed as soon as possible.
Tularemia
Tularaemia, sometimes referred to as “rabbit fever,” is a bacterial illness that can spread across many animals, including mice. It is typically spread by direct contact with an infected animal or by flea or tick bites, as the disease may thrive on mice.
Skin sores, enlarged lymph nodes, and fever are common signs of tularaemia; however, if the infection progresses to the lungs, pneumonia, which can be fatal, may develop. Eliminating mice should be a top priority in places where they are prevalent, particularly in rural or forested regions, to stop the disease from spreading to people.
Plague
Talking about diseases carried by rodents is difficult without including the plague. Although it sounds like a relic from mediaeval times, the disease is still somewhat common nowadays although infrequent. Together with rats, mice can carry fleas carrying the bacterium causing the plague. Human cases are rare, although they do happen—especially in rural or semi-rural settings.
If you live somewhere where mice are rather prevalent, stopping an infestation is absolutely vital. Key are extermination campaigns as well as control of the fleas residing on these rodents. If left untreated, the plague can cause serious disease or death even if medications can treat it if discovered early on.
Rat-bite fever
Rat-bite fever can be acquired from mice despite its name. Bites, scrapes, or even food or water contaminated by sick rats can all help to transmit this bacterial illness. Fever, nausea, headaches, and a rash comprise the symptoms.
Rat-bite fever occasionally can cause more severe problems like brain or heart infections. Preventing contact with these bacteria depends on quick elimination of mice as even apparently benign interactions, including eating food contaminated by mice, can cause severe disease.
Mouse allergies
Although not a sickness in the conventional sense, allergic reactions to mice are rather common among people. Some people have extreme allergies triggered by mouse droppings, urine, and even their fur, which causes respiratory problems akin to asthma. A mouse infestation can greatly aggravate allergies or asthma in either you or a family member.
Together with careful cleaning, extermination initiatives can help to reduce these symptoms and ensure that your house stays a safe and comfortable place. Calling experts who can manage the clean-up as well as the extermination will help to guarantee that no mouse traces remain to set off allergies.
Toxoplasmosis
Although mice also play a part in the spread of toxoplasmosis, a disease more usually connected with cats. Eating mice usually results in a cat becoming infected; thereafter, the parasite causing toxoplasmosis is distributed from their excrement. Pregnant women especially risk this illness, which can cause birth abnormalities or compromise immune systems.
Although maintaining the health of your cat should be your first priority, a major first step in lowering the toxoplasmosis risk is making sure mice never ever enter your house. Eliminating mice guarantees that your house is less likely to draw cats or other animals possibly carrying the parasite.
Conclusion
Although mice appear like little annoyances, human health is seriously threatened by them. From lethal viruses like Hantavirus to frequent infections like salmonellosis, these diseases underline the need for mice extermination. Not only does a quick response help to guard your food and house, but it also helps to ensure the welfare of your family.
From the elimination of live rodents to the cleanup of the dangerous leftovers they produce, professional extermination services can assist in guaranteeing that every element of an infestation is handled. If you have seen a mouse, then don’t wait; act quickly to save your health before it is too late.
