Hantavirus Cleaning Severity & Precautions

Hantavirus Cleaning: Severity & Precautions

Hantavirus Cleaning: Severity & Precautions

The hantavirus is a virus typically carried by rodents. It is found in the white-footed mouse, cotton rat, rice rat and deer mouse. Of these, the deer mouse is perhaps the most common carrier of hantavirus. Deer mice excrete hantavirus in their droppings, urine, and saliva and people most usually contract the virus when these materials are stirred up, making it airborne.

Persons can get exposed to hantavirus by breathing contaminated dust post cleaning or disturbing rodent droppings and nests. They can also contract the virus by working and living in rodent-infested settings. It commonly leads to Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS). HPS is essentially an infectious disease with flu-like symptoms that can advance rapidly to potentially severe breathing problems.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report gives us reason to worry. As of January 2017, there were a total of 728 cases of Hantavirus infection reported in the United States. It included people with medically confirmed hantavirus infection with either HPS or non-pulmonary hantavirus infection. Out of these statistics, from 1993 onward, 697 cases occurred after the first identification of HPS. The remaining 31 cases were identified retrospectively. Notably, 36% of all reported HPS cases claimed lives.

As a resident of Colorado, you want to especially look out as the diagnosis of a Denver resident with hantavirus was reported on March 6, 2018 in The Denver Post. Though the disease is usually found in rural and suburban regions, this person got infected in Denver itself. As the individual did not leave the county, investigators were certain that the virus was picked up somewhere in Denver. Such an occurrence is rare, but it also rings an alarm for people in Colorado.

Methods of Hantavirus Transmission

  • Inhalation

Hantaviruses are primarily transmitted to people via the aerosolization of viruses shed in the excreted matter of infected rodents. For instance, a broom used to clean up mouse droppings in the attic may usher into the air tiny particles of stool containing hantaviruses, which you can then unknowingly inhale.

Once you breathe in hantaviruses, they reach your lungs and begin invading tiny blood vessels named capillaries, eventually causing them to leak. Your lungs then tend to flood with fluid, which can spark any of the respiratory problems related to HPS.

  • Person-to-person transmission

At present, people infected by the North American strain of HPS are not really contagious to others. However, certain outbreaks in South America have witnessed transmission from person to person.

How Can You Prevent Contraction of Hantavirus?

You want to keep out rodents from your home and workplace. Always remember to take precautions when cleaning, trapping, and sealing rodent-infested areas. Try the following tips for preventing the intrusion of deer mice:

  1. Clog all Means of Access

As mice can squeeze through spaces and holes which are as wide as 1/4 inch or 6mm, you want to block all holes with cement, metal, or wire screening.

  1. Reduce Any Availability of Food

Keeping the place free of food is an excellent way to keep out deer mice, as they mostly intrude seeking food. You want to maintain clean floors and counters which are devoid of food crumbs. Also, wash your dishes promptly and make it a point to store your food, including that of pets, in tight, rodent-proof containers. Garbage cans also need to have tight lids that cannot be easily moved by mice.

  1. Decrease Accumulation of Nesting Material

You want to clear grass, brush, and all junk and unnecessary material from the building’s foundation. When there is lack of material for mice to nest and breed, there will be lesser chances of them infesting the premises.

  1. Set Up Traps

If you suspect deer mice to have already been frequenting the premises, setting up traps is a great way to do away with the menace. You can lay spring-operated traps along baseboards. Poison-bait traps can also be used. However, it has to be done cautiously as poison has the possibility of harming people and pets as well.

Safe Hantavirus Cleaning Process

You want to wet down the dead mice and the areas where they have been with household disinfectants, alcohol, or bleach. This kills the virus and effectively prevents infected dust from being stirred up into the air. When everything is wet, use a damp towel to lift the contaminated material. Then, sponge or mop the area thoroughly with disinfectant.

On cleaning after rodents, you want to take the following measures to avoid contraction of the hantavirus:

  • Don’t vacuum but instead, air out enclosed spaces.
  • Wear gloves and a face mask covering the nose when cleaning.
  • While cleaning the affected area, soak it with disinfectant and water.
  • Use paper towels to thoroughly wipe the affected areas before disinfecting again.
  • Disinfect gloves after using them.
  • Rinse your hands with soap and warm water after you are done cleaning.

By inactivating hantaviruses in the environment, the risk of HPS can be significantly reduced. By developing an awareness of the dangers and adopting the necessary precautions, you can keep this virus at bay.

 

Source Links:

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/deer-mice-cute-but-potentially-deadly/
https://www.medicinenet.com/hantavirus_pulmonary_syndrome/article.htm
https://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/hps/index.html
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hantavirus-pulmonary-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20351838
https://www.doh.wa.gov/YouandYourFamily/IllnessandDisease/Hantavirus
https://www.denverpost.com/2018/03/06/hantavirus-denver/

Bed Bug Bites

Bed Bug Bites

Bed Bug Bites:  Call ECOS on 888-990-5067 to get rid of these pests immediately.  Most homeowners dread one pest problem in particular – bed bugs which can become a highly expensive problem if they are allowed to spread through out your property.  Bed bug bites can impose serious health threats if they are not removed quickly and safely.  Bed bugs have evolved to become perfect parasites that can cause immense harm to humans and damage property likewise. They stick around for long periods of time because they often go unnoticed.

What Are Bed Bugs? 

These insects belong to the genus Cimex and they feed on human blood. They are small and parasitic insects that consume animal blood by biting their skin. These insects spread by crawling and through hosts. Even though there are no signs of infectious diseases that are transmitted through bed bug bites, it can still lead to several skin complications in humans. Bed bugs are found across the globe. They have evolved to become the perfect parasite because they can live up to 70 days without feeding. Bed bugs have also started growing resistance to pesticides.

The bed bugs are about the size of an apple seed and can hide in cracks, bed frames, box springs, headboards, and crevices of beds. Bed bugs can usually be found in objects in and around the bed. Hotels, hospitals, and homeless shelters are the most common places for encountering bed bugs. They usually have a reddish-colored body texture.

 

Types of Bed Bugs

There are two profound species of bed bugs that survive on human blood. These insects are called:

  1. Cimex lectularius (Common bed bug)
  2. Cimex hemipterus – a tropical breed

Bed bugs spend their time in the dark and usually crawl out during the night-time to feed on human and animal blood.

 

Bed Bug Detection 

There are two simple ways to find out if your home is infested with bed bugs:

  • Check for bed bug bites on your body
  • Check for bed bugs
  • Bloodstains on pillows and bedsheets
  • Rusty spots on mattresses
  • Offensive and musty odor released from the bugs’ glands

If there are bed bugs present in the home, your family is likely to have bed bug bites on your skin. These bites easily catch itchy welts and appear in a zigzag pattern. Often, a cluster of 3-5 zigzag bite patterns appears on the skin. Bed bugs can be seldom seen mostly because they never come out of their hiding place, unlike most insects.

 

Bed Bug Bite Symptoms 

It is difficult to distinguish a bed bug bite from bites of other insects such as spiders, mosquitoes, or fleas. Sometimes people mistakenly confuse bed bug bites with other skin conditions such as hives, chickenpox, or other itchy rashes. However, here are some signs to detect a bed bug bite from the rest of the conditions:

  • Redness, often with a dark red spot in the middle of the bite
  • Arranged in a zigzag pattern and clustered in proximity
  • Can be located on the neck, hands, face, and arms

While there are people who have no reaction to these bites, there are others who face severe allergic reactions including persistent itchiness and blisters.

Causes 

An infestation of bed bugs can be linked with:

  • Changes in environmental conditions and pest control practices
  • Increased resistance to pesticides and mutation
  • Increased traveling of the host

Bed Bug Spots 

Bed bugs usually manifest in objects close to where people sleep. It makes it easier for the insects to crawl out and conveniently feed on human blood while the subject is deep asleep. Some of the spots to locate bed bugs include:

  • Under loose, hanging wallpapers and peeling paints on the wall
  • Box springs and mattresses
  • Objects cluttered on or around the bed
  • Bed frames and upholstered furniture seams

Risk Factors 

Bed bugs can multiply irrespective of weather conditions. They live in the dark, need a warm host to travel and feed on, and a lot of hiding places. The cleanliness of the surrounding plays no factor in the manifestation of bed bugs. They can thrive in the cleanest of rooms. Bed bugs can easily travel rooms and compartments by crawling. These insects are more common in areas of high density such as apartment complexes, refugee camps, hotels, dorm rooms, trains, and buses. Bed bug bites can cause serious infectious conditions in its host and impose other risk factors as well. Here are some of the most common risk factors including a bed bug bite:

  1. Infection – These bites can be very itchy leading to an urge to continually scratch the bed bug bite spot until it goes away. Scratching vehemently can lead to allergies and flesh wounds. These wounds are small, but they are open in nature. It allows other germs and bacteria to enter these wounds and cause fatal infections if left unattended. Increasing redness around the wound and tender bumps are some of its symptoms. These wounds can lead to skin infections like Impetigo, cellulitis, and boils.
  2. Allergic Reactions – Bed bug bites can have an allergic reaction on some people imposing serious health risks. Life-threatening situations arise in people having severe allergic reactions after being bitten by bed bugs. Hosts that are hypersensitive to insect bites can undergo anaphylactic shock when bitten. This condition causes wheezing, tightness of the chest, itchy tongue or lips, and tightness in the throat of the host. Such conditions need immediate medical attention.
  3. Stress – Living in a household manifested by bed bugs is stressful. Also, the increasing resistance of bed bugs towards pesticides and their ability to survive without food for a long time invites a lot of problems. The house may need to be cleaned multiple times which becomes costly due to the bed bugs’ dominant nature. Bed bugs invite stress because they cannot be removed easily, are expensive to get rid of, causes harm to the body, and damages property as well. These are quite a few reasons for stressing out leading to a weak immune system.

The home and the workplace must be kept tidy to keep unwanted intruders at bay. Bed bugs are a growing problem globally and bed bug bites can cause serious infections and skin diseases. Home is where you want to rest peacefully and not stress about being bitten by bed bugs waking up to skin rashes.

Are you suspecting bed bug manifestation in your home? Are you tired of being bitten by bed bugs regularly? Cannot get proper sleep because you are afraid of being bitten? Try our services for bed bug treatment.

Call ECOS at 888-990-5067 today! We are committed to providing reliable assistance to make your life safer, easier, and better. Above, we gave you some important information on removing bed bugs from your property and thus addressing any bed bug bites you are facing

Why Choose ECOS?

  •  We have a live operator on call 24/7 to schedule your project (Monday through Sunday)
  •  Our services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year.
  •  We give topmost priority to the health and safety of our clients suffering from bed bug bites
  •  Our modern equipment is safe for people, animals, and sensitive materials.
  •  Our technicians are friendly and helpful.
  •  We have years of professional experience in the industry and are experts.
  •  We have no hidden charges and offer competitive pricing.