A rare infectious disease called hantavirus pulmonary syndrome manifests initially as flu-like symptoms before quickly worsening. It may result in heart and lung conditions that are fatal. Another name for the condition is hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome. Do deer mice carry disease?
The hantavirus can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in a number of different strains. Different kinds of rodents carry them. The deer mouse is North America’s most widespread carrier. Hantaviruses from rodent urine, feces, or saliva that have become airborne are typical what cause infection.
The best defense against hantavirus pulmonary syndrome is to stay away from rodents and properly clean up rodent habitats because there aren’t many therapeutic options available.
Symptoms
Usually, it takes 2 to 3 weeks from hantavirus infection to the onset of sickness. The two stages of the hantavirus pulmonary illness are unique. The most typical signs and symptoms of the initial stage, which might last several days, are:
- chills and a fever
- muscle soreness or pains
- Headache
Some individuals also go through
- Nausea
- abdominal pain
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
As the illness worsens, it can result in harmed lung tissues, fluid accumulation in the lungs, and severe troubles with heart and lung function. Some warning signs and symptoms include:
- Cough
- Having trouble breathing
- Low blood pressure
- abnormal heart rate
- When to see a doctor
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome symptoms might suddenly intensify and quickly turn life-threatening. Consult your doctor if you get flu-like symptoms that get worse over a few days. Get quick medical assistance if you have difficulties breathing.
Only North and South America are home to the human illness known as hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. Every hantavirus strain has a preferred rodent vector. The deer mouse is the animal that spreads the virus most frequently throughout America. To rodent control near me contact AND Exterminators.
The deer mouse in the Southeast and the white-footed mouse in the Northeast are other carriers in North America. Also, the rice rat and the vesper mouse are rodent carriers in South America.
Transmission
The virus can be found in the saliva, feces, or urine of rodents. Following are some ways that you could come into contact with the virus:
- When viruses escape from disturbing rodent droppings or nesting materials and become airborne, inhalation is the most likely method of transmission.
- Consuming food that has been tainted with mouse feces, urine, or saliva
- Contacting your lips, eyes, or nose after touching something infected with the virus, such as a nest.
- Being bitten or scratched by an infectious rodent
- Only the South American virus strain known as the Andes virus has been associated with person-to-person transmission.
Virus’s Effects
Hantaviruses enter tiny blood vessels called capillaries in the lungs where they eventually cause them to leak. When your lungs swell up with fluid (pulmonary edema), your heart and lungs suffer a significant malfunction.
Related Illness
Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, another illness brought on by many hantavirus strains, results in severe kidney disease. Other animals in Africa, Asia, and Europe are carriers of these viral types.
Risk Elements
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome is particularly prevalent in the rural West of the United States. However, any contact with rodent habitats can raise your chance of contracting a disease.
Sites, where rodent nests, urine, and droppings are frequently found, include:
- farm structures
- buildings that aren’t often used, like storage sheds
- Cabins for the season or campers
- Shelters for trekking or camping
- basements or attics
- locations of construction
The following actions can make you more likely to become exposed to the hantavirus:
- Opening and cleaning abandoned structures
- Without taking the necessary precautions, cleaning up rodent nests or droppings
- Working in a profession that exposes people to more rodents, such as farming, construction, utility work, or pest control
Complications
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome has the potential to quickly turn fatal. A severe illness may cause the heart to stop supplying the body with oxygen. The severity of each viral strain varies. Between 30% and 50% of people die from the strain that deer mice carry.
Prevention
Your risk of contracting the hantavirus can be lower if you keep rats away from your house and place of employment. Try the following advice:
- Impede access: Mice may fit through gaps that are as narrow as 1/4 inch (6 millimeters). Clothe holes with cement, metal flashing, steel wool, or wire mesh.
- Close the buffet of food- Store your food, especially pet food, in rodent-proof containers and wash your dishes immediately. Also, keep your counters and floors clean. Garbage can lids should be secure.
- Cut back on nesting materials- Remove debris, grass, and brush from around a building’s base.
- Place traps- Along baseboards, spring-loaded traps must be installed. Use caution while utilizing poison-bait traps because the poison can be harmful to both people and animals.
- Dispose of yard items that attract rodents- Compost bins or wood heaps should be moved away from the home.
- Ventilate any empty spots- Before cleaning, let campers, cabins, or other rarely used structures air out.
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