What Diseases Do Mice Carry?

People tend to recoil at the thought of a mouse running through their house or business, and this is for a good reason. 

The Dangers of Mice to Your Health

Like other wild animals, mice are capable of spreading diseases to humans. Many of the most common diseases that mice carry can have serious effects on your health. 

Knowing about the health risks posed by mice will give you the ability to protect yourself and emphasizes the reasons why you don’t want to let an infestation run wild.

Avoid Stirring Up the Hantavirus

Stirring up dried mouse urine and droppings can cause certain bacterial and viral particles to go airborne. Breathing in the pathogens can make you extremely sick. 

Deer mice are the most common type to carry the Sin Nombre strain of the hantavirus, which is found in Arizona. You can catch this virus by being bitten by a mouse. It is also transmissible to humans through dried particles that mice leave around a building. 

At first, the symptoms of hantavirus can be similar to the flu. Tell your doctor if you may have been exposed while engaging in outdoor activities or while cleaning up mouse droppings around your house.

Be Aware of Food-Borne Illnesses

Mice love to nibble on many of your favorite foods. As they crawl through your food storage areas, they can also track bacteria such as salmonella across the surface. 

While you may know to follow general food safety practices while cooking, you may be unaware that a mouse trampled through a box of your favorite cereal. 

Once you get exposed to the bacteria when you eat, you could experience uncomfortable food-related illness symptoms, such vomiting, stomach cramping and diarrhea.

Know That the Plague Still Exists

The plague is something that most people assume is a worry that was left behind during the Middle Ages. In the United States, the plague is fairly rare, but it still strikes dozens of people every year. 

Plague typically spreads when a flea bites a mouse that is infected with the bacteria. Then, the newly infected flea moves on to bite a human.

Since you might not notice a flea bite right away, you could be unaware that you are infected until you begin to experience symptoms. 

The plague typically causes symptoms in one to six days after the flea bite. These symptoms are usually flu-like, and they can reach severe levels fast. Prompt treatment with antibiotics gives you the best chances of surviving this deadly illness.

Watch Out for Other Parasite-Related Diseases

The plague isn’t the only parasite-related disease that mice can carry into your home. Lyme disease is another issue that can happen when mice are infested with ticks. The same is also true of Colorado tick fever. 

If you have noticed more ticks than usual around your house, there could be a mouse infestation helping to spread the problem, increasing your risk of catching a dangerous disease.

 

When you spot signs of mice, keep in mind that you must be extremely careful. Trapping mice yourself can sometimes lead to bites, leaving you vulnerable to catching a disease. You can also catch an illness from mice without having to touch one directly. 

Professionals use tactics to get rid of mice effectively. Eliminating the infestation as soon as possible reduces the amount of bacteria and viruses that get tracked into your home. You can also avoid a potentially infectious bite by letting us handle the dirty work.