Rats, mice, or any other rodents are the last thing you want showing up in your bathroom, kitchen, garage, or anywhere else in your home. Unfortunately, they’re all too common in Arizona, and wherever they go, they can bring serious health concerns along with them.
Take a step to be better prepared to take action before an infestation grows by understanding the risks and working with Burns Pest Elimination to keep them away.
The Common Rodent-Borne Diseases
Like any pest, rodent infestations carry a high risk of spreading germs and diseases, and pack rats are some of the worst. Pack rats never show up alone, building large family groups that can range from a handful of rodents to several dozen, all sharing the same nests and feeding areas. In these close quarters, illnesses picked up from other animals can spread quickly through the group.
Every rodent infestation becomes a kind of petri dish, and any one of them could be carrying multiple diseases at once.
How Do Rodent Diseases Spread
Most rodent-borne illnesses are transmitted through contact with feces, urine, or saliva, and they can come from a number of places.
Contamination can happen in food storage areas, along countertops, or anywhere rodents travel. Direct contact, such as handling a dead rodent without proper precautions, can also put you at risk, and this is one of the reasons it’s important to avoid handling rodents or their droppings yourself.
Instead, bring in the rodent control experts from Burns Pest Elimination to remove them safely and thoroughly.
Can I Catch a Hantavirus in Arizona?
There’s a common misconception that hantavirus refers to a single disease. In reality, hantavirus is a group of viruses, many of which are spread by rodents. In Arizona, there are a variety of known carriers, including pack rats, deer mice, and other wild rodents.
Exposure to hantavirus, through contact with an infected animal or its droppings, can cause serious respiratory illness, making it a top concern for anyone dealing with an active infestation.
Hantaviruses aren’t the only health threat from pack rats. There’s also rat-bite fever, a completely different disease caused by bacteria rather than a virus. While rat-bite fever is much rarer, it can still result in serious symptoms if contracted, typically through bites, scratches, or contact with contaminated surfaces.
It’s just one more reason to treat any rodent problem with urgency.
Avoid Rodent Infestations in Arizona With Burns Pest Elimination
Preventive treatments can make your home far less inviting to rodents, reducing your chances of dealing with the health hazards they can bring. Count on Burns Pest Elimination with the experience and tools you need to protect your property year-round.
We’ll inspect your home, identify vulnerable areas, and create a plan to keep rodents out for good.
Contact us today to request a quote and schedule your initial consultation.
