Seeing rats in or near your building can do more than make an unfavorable impression on customers. These rodents can also put employees and customers alike at risk of catching transmittable diseases.
The CDC keeps track of diseases that can spread from rats to humans, and many of these can be serious or even life-threatening. The following are some of the diseases people can catch from these rodents:
- Leptospirosis: This disease can cause fever, headaches, diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In serious cases, it can lead to liver or kidney failure. Humans can get this bacterial disease when contaminated soil or water passes through mucous or skin membranes or from consuming contaminated food or water.
- Salmonellosis: This bacterial illness causes fever, abdominal cramps and diarrhea that can last for days. Severe cases sometimes require hospitalization. Humans can catch salmonellosis from consuming contaminated food or water.
- Rat-bite fever: This disease can cause fever, vomiting, rash, headaches and joint pain. Without antibiotic treatment, it can cause heart, brain or lung infections. Humans can get rat-bite fever from consuming contaminated food or water or from being bitten or scratched by an infected rat.
Other diseases transmitted by rats to humans include plague, hantavirus, Lassa fever and tularemia.
If your business is having a rat problem, don’t hesitate to call Allison Pest Control. Our professional Freehold exterminators will eliminate these pests before they cause health issues.
