An infestation of mice in your Monmouth County NJ garage this winter could place you at risk of contracting potentially the deadly hantavirus next spring. Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome is a rare but often fatal respiratory disease that can be contracted by breathing dust that contains decayed mouse feces. The virus is carried in the saliva, feces and urine of white-footed deer mice which frequently invade Monmouth and Ocean County homes and garages in search of food and shelter during the winter.
A single mouse deposits about 70 fecal pellets a day. Because mice typically live in communal groups, a small community of mice may be using your garage as a public restroom. Over the course of the winter, accumulating mouse feces dry out and turn to dust. When you sweep out your garage in the spring, that dust and the deadly virus it carries become airborne. With each breath, your risk of contracting hantavirus rises.
In 2012, U.S. health officials issued a worldwide alert after an outbreak of hantavirus at Yosemite National Park killed three people and sickened numerous others when deer mice built nests between the canvas walls of tent cabins rented to vacationers.
The white-footed deer mouse common to Monmouth County NJ is light brown to black and is distinguished by a white underbelly and its signature white feet. Typically living in outdoor burrows or wood piles, deer mice are common winter visitors to Monmouth County homes and garages and Ocean County vacation cabins.
Don’t place yourself at risk. At the first sign of mice, contact the experienced mice exterminators at Allison Pest Control for fast, effective service.