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13 Diseases Caused by House Rats: Types, Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment

What are the Causes of House Rat Diseases?

Diseases Caused by Rats and Their Symptoms

1. Hantavirus

2. Haemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome

3. Lassa Fever

4. Leptospirosis

5. Lymphocytic Chorio-Meningitis

6. Plague

7. Rat-Bite Fever

8. Salmonellosis

9. Tularemia

10. Toxoplasmosis

11. Trichinosis

12. Cryptosporidiosis

13. Psittacosis

What Are the Preventive Measures to Control Diseases Caused by Rats?

What Are the Harmful Effects of Disease Caused by House Rats

Risk Factors Associated With Diseases Caused by House Rats

House rats can transmit many diseases to humans, and various risk factors contribute to these diseases. Here are the major risk factors associated with diseases caused by house rats:

Risk Factors Description
Poor Sanitation Rat infestations are generally related to unsanitary conditions. Garbage, dirty areas, food refuse, etc., all provide perfect breeding grounds for rats and increase the risk of diseases.
Direct Contact The disease is transmissible by handling rats or contacting their urine, droppings, or nesting materials through open cuts or abrasions of the skin.
Exposure to Droppings and Urine Leptospirosis and hantavirus are spread through contact with rat urine or droppings. The dust that forms when dried droppings are disturbed can be dangerous to inhale.
Rodent-Borne Pathogens Rats are vectors for the pathogens of various infectious diseases, including salmonellosis, tularemia, and lymphocytic choriomeningitis.
Poor Ventilation The lack of proper ventilation in rat-infested or inhabited locations may play a vital role in spreading airborne pathogens. Viruses manifest better in poorly ventilated homes.
Weakened Immunity Elderly people, small children, and those suffering from any chronic diseases in whom the immune system is weakened are easy victims of rat-borne pathogenic infections.
Unprotected Storage and Exposure of Food Rats are attracted to food stored unprotected or exposed, thereby increasing the chances of contamination with pathogenic bacteria or parasites.
Environmental Factors The high humidity and unsanitary conditions may favour the proliferation of rats, hence increasing the potential for disease transmission.

Good control would entail proper house sanitation, blocking points of entry, and traps or baits to minimise exposure to rat-borne illnesses.

Does Health Insurance Cover Disease Caused by House Rats?

FAQs about Diseases Caused by House Rats