While some types of household pests are only a mere annoyance, others can seriously put your health at risk and even lead to death. For example, bats are well-known disease carriers that can transmit sicknesses and parasites to humans, such as rabies, histoplasmosis, ticks, and mites.
To help protect your family, here is some information about bat rabies, other types of bat disease, and how to prevent bats in your home and yard.
The Prevalence of Bats Rabies
According to the CDC, bats cause approximately 70 percent of the rabies deaths in people who get rabies in the U.S. About 55,000 people in the U.S. seek treatment for potential rabies exposure each year in the form of post-exposure prophylaxis. Without this treatment, rabies is almost always fatal.
Bats and Histoplasmosis
Another common bat disease is histoplasmosis, which can be caused by exposure to bat droppings, or guano. Humans and pets can be affected by histoplasmosis through an airborne fungus that rises from soil contaminated with these droppings. Histoplasmosis is particularly concerning because you don’t even need to come into physical contact with a bat to get this disease.
In humans, histoplasmosis infects the lungs and is common in the Mid-Atlantic (including New Jersey), Southeastern, and Central parts of the U.S. Common symptoms are shortness of breath, fevers, joint pain, red bumps on the legs, and excessive sweating. If left untreated, histoplasmosis can affect heart functioning, cause meningitis, and affect hormone production.
Other Health Concerns with Bats
In addition to these two types of bat disease, bats can also carry parasites, such as ticks and mites. Parasites carried by bats can bite and cause irritation to both humans and pets. Bat guano and urine attract roaches, mites, and other insects. It can also cause your home to develop a foul odor.
Prevent Bats in and Around Your Home
Because bats are such a common source of rabies and histoplasmosis, the best ways to prevent the spread of these diseases is to make your home unattractive to bats. Seal up holes that might invite them inside your home and cover outside entry points, especially the chimney.
In many instances, a person contracts a bat disease by attempting to handle a bat infestation alone without proper safety training. For this reason, it is always best to call a professional exterminating service to address a bat situation in or around the home.
Precise Termite & Pest Control specializes in safe, humane, and effective bat removal, and we’re committed to keeping New Jersey households free of bats. At the first sign of bat droppings, bat sightings, chirping sounds, wall stains, or unexplained smells, contact us for a free inspection or emergency treatment.