Humans are no strangers to rodent-borne diseases and infections. Many historical accounts suggest these pesky critters have been plaguing our civilization for hundreds of years and are still a huge threat.
While rodents, mice, or rats are active all year round, the risks of infestations are significantly higher when the outdoor temperatures are extra low and these creatures have to sneak indoors to find shelter. This is the time when you need to implement strict rodent control measures to minimize risks.
Rodents are known to carry more than 35 different types of illnesses. They can spread these diseases directly by biting or they can do it indirectly by leaving behind droppings, urine, or saliva that humans can come into contact with.
This blog explores some of the main rodent-borne diseases. Here you will also learn about some of the deadliest historical pandemics that were caused directly by rodents so keep reading till the end.
- Common Contemporary Diseases and Threats Linked to Rodents
- Food Poisoning (Such as Salmonella)
- Hantavirus
- Rat-Bite Fever
- Hepatitis E
- Bubonic Plague
- Leptospirosis
- Murine Typhus
- Eosinophilic Meningitis
- Historical Pandemic Caused by Rodents
- The First Outbreak: The Plague of Justinian
- The Second Outbreak: The Black Death
- The Last European Outbreak
Common Contemporary Diseases and Threats Linked to Rodents
Rodents are responsible for spreading a wide range of diseases to humans even today. Following is a brief overview of the common diseases spread by rodents
- Food Poisoning (Such as Salmonella)
A common type of food poisoning is Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium which spreads to humans who come into contact with rodent feces-infected food items. These diseases are spread in areas where food is handled or stored. Its major symptoms include bouts of diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and digestive discomfort.
- Hantavirus
Also known as HPS or Hantavirus Pulmonary syndrome, this disease can spread to humans by breathing in contaminated air. In this case, the disease spreads through rodents’ urine, feces, or bodily fluids.
- Rat-Bite Fever
As the name suggests, this disease enters humans when they are bitten by rodents. In this case, bacteria from the mouths of these creatures are transmitted to humans when rats bite.
- Hepatitis E
This disease affects humans who come into contact with water contaminated by rodents. This leads to the Hepatitis E virus entering into our systems and damaging our liver to a great extent in very little time.
- Bubonic Plague
This disease is spread by bites from infected fleas. Back in the 1300s, this plague was responsible for the death of more than a third of the entire human population. There are about 600 annual cases of this disease even to this day.
- Leptospirosis
This disease affects those humans who come into contact with water that is infected by the urine or other bodily fluids of rodents. It may also come from the food or soil that has been contaminated by the urine of rodents.
- Eosinophilic Meningitis
This disease is often attributed to rat lungworms penetrating our bodies. Its main symptoms include the inflammation of the brain and spinal membranes.
Historical Pandemic Caused by Rodents
Bubonic plague is the deadliest pandemic that has affected humans mainly three major times since the Middle Ages. This zoonosis originates from Yersinia Pestis bacteria and it spreads to humans by rodent-nesting fleas.
According to an estimate about two-thirds of affected people die within 4 days of catching this disease.
Following is a brief overview of major historical pandemics caused by rodents
- The First Outbreak: The Plague of Justinian
The first outbreak was reported under the reign of Emperor Justinian I (482-565) of Byzantine. After breaking out in 524 in Constantinople this pandemic engulfed the region of the Mediterranean through Greece and Italy. Overall, this plague claimed about 25 million lives by the end killing up to 5000 victims each day.
- The Second Outbreak: The Black Death
The second and probably the deadliest rodent-based pandemic occurred in the late Middle Ages killing about a third of Europe’s population between 1346 and 1353.
Starting from Asia, this pandemic traveled to Southeast Europe along the Silk Road. The attack of Mongols on the Italian merchants on this trade route supposedly affected the Europeans who carried this disease to the region unknowingly.
This plague lingered for the next few centuries but remained localized.
The major reported outbreaks were
The 1647 plague in the Seville region of Spain and the 1665-1666 London plague. The 1679 Viennese plague and the 1708-1712 plagues were also a part of it.
Finally, the last European outbreak was reported in 1720 in the French city of Marseille.
- The Last European Outbreak
The last major outbreak was reported in central Asia in 1855 in the Yunnan province in China where it remained localized for several years.
This disease spread instantly from canton to Hong Kong in 1894 killing about 60,000 to 100,000 victims in only a week. In the year 1896, the disease came to India killing about 12.5 million people over the course of three decades.
By the end of the century, the plague entered Hawaii by boat. Rat-infested cargo ships unleashed these critters in the Chinatown piers of Oahu. In a desperate attempt to fight off the rodents’ officials burned several buildings leading to about 4,000 locals becoming homeless.
In the first quarter of the 1900s, 12 outbreaks of this plague were reported in Australia. The plague lingered till 1959 globally with the fatality rate dropping to less than 200 annually.
Conclusion
Rodent-borne diseases have troubled humanity for hundreds of years. Recently some new variations of these diseases have also appeared which shows it is not yet possible for us to eliminate these creatures and the diseases they carry or spread completely.
However, it is possible to mitigate the health hazards caused by rodents if you take robust steps to promptly prevent or remove infestations from your property. By taking solid steps to seal all entry points, ensuring better sanitation, and maintaining good cleaning practices, you can easily reduce the risks of rodent infestations. Visit Lulu Pest Control today to get quality rodent infestation removal and prevention solutions for any type of property in Dubai.