Spring is right around the corner and that means rodent and bat encounters are, too. Knowing what to do after finding rodent droppings or a bat is critical to preventing diseases like hantavirus and rabies that can have serious health implications. By following common-sense prevention strategies, you can significantly lower your risk of contracting these diseases.
Hantavirus is a serious respiratory disease transmitted by rodents that affects your lungs and kidneys. When fresh urine, droppings or nesting materials of an infected rodent are stirred up, the virus can get into the air. You can become infected with the virus by breathing in the contaminated air. The virus can also spread when saliva, urine or feces from an infected animal gets into cuts in a person’s skin or their eyes, nose or mouth.
To prevent hantavirus, seal up rodent entry points such as pipes, vents and under doors. If you need to clean areas with rodent droppings or urine, stay safe by taking these steps:
- Put on rubber or plastic gloves.
- Spray urine and droppings with a bleach solution or an EPA-registered disinfectant until very wet. Let it soak for five minutes or according to instructions on the disinfectant label.
- Use paper towels to wipe up the urine or droppings and cleaning product.
- Throw the paper towels in a covered garbage can that is regularly emptied.
- Mop or sponge the area with disinfectant. Clean all hard surfaces including floor, countertops, cabinets and drawers.
- Wash gloved hands with soap and water or a disinfectant before removing gloves.
- Wash hands with soap and warm water after removing gloves.
- Never vacuum or sweep up rodent urine, droppings or nesting materials. This can cause droplets containing the virus to get into the air.
Bats will begin emerging from hibernation soon. Bats typically avoid humans, however, they should never be in your home and it can be hard to know if you have had direct contact with these flying mammals. Bat bites are very small and difficult to notice, especially on young children and pets. If you do find a bat in your home, or if you have had contact with a bat, the bat should be tested for rabies. Rabies is deadly in humans if medical care is not provided before the onset of symptoms, so capturing and testing bets is critical to maintaining your health after a bat encounter.
Take these steps to capture the bat. Use the same precautions to box up a dead bat found indoors:
- Find a container, such as a Tupperware or box large enough for the bat, and a piece of cardboard with holes punched in it to cover the opening.
- Using leather work gloves, place the container over the bat and slide the cardboard under the container.
- Tape the cardboard to the container to secure it and place it in the refrigerator. This will put the bat into a torpor and make it inactive.
- Call your local public health department to arrange a delivery of the bat to a Communicable Disease team or partnering veterinarian.
- The bat will be euthanized and sent to a laboratory for rabies testing. If the bat tests negative, rabies vaccine will not be recommended. If the bat is positive for rabies, a post-exposure vaccination series is highly recommended. Pets that are exposed to bats can be isolated and observed for 10 days to ensure they do not develop symptoms or endanger their owners or other animals.
Bats and other wild mammals share a home with us in La Plata County and should be valued as integral parts of our environment. Nonetheless, rabies risk can be reduced by taking these protective measures:
- Do not feed, touch or adopt wild animals, and be cautious of stray dogs and cats. Rabid animals do not always appear vicious!
- Teach children to leave wildlife alone. Be sure your child knows to tell you if an animal bites or scratches them.
- Have your veterinarian vaccinate your pets and livestock against rabies. Keep their vaccinations up to date.
- Tightly close garbage cans and feed bins. Open trash and feed bags attract wild or stray animals to your home or yard.
- Feed your pets indoors; never leave pet food outside as this attracts wildlife.
- Keep outdoor pets in a fenced yard.
- Avoid all contact with bats, especially bats found on the ground. If you find a bat on the ground, don’t touch it. Report the bat and its location to your local health department.
- Call your doctor right away if an animal bites you. Contact your local health department to report the incident.
By cleaning safely and maintaining a healthy distance to our bat and rodent populations, we can all share Colorado together this spring and summer.
Audrey McCabe is the La Plata County Public Health Department’s Communicable Disease and Emergency Preparedness coordinator. You can contact her at AMcCabe@lpcgov.org.
