***It is important for you to know that the following information is not meant to scare you. The following facts are concerning, they are meant to educate and inform you regarding the health concerns associated to rodents so that you can protect yourself and family.***
According to the Florida Department of Health, "Rodents are know to spread as many as 35 different diseases to humans worldwide". Furthermore, "Inhaling dust from dried rodent urine, feces and nesting material can also result in illness. Pregnant women, children, the elderly and those who are immunocompromised should be particularly careful to protect themselves from rodent-carried illnesses"
Resources from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state:
Diseases directly transmitted by rodents:
Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome, Lassa Fever, Leptospirosis, Lymphocytic Chorio-meningitis (LCM), Omsk Hemorrhagic Fever, Plague, Rat-Bite Feve, Salmonellosis, South American Arenaviruses (Argentine hemorrhagic fever, Bolivian hemorrhagic fever, Sabiá-associated hemorrhagic fever, Venezuelan hemorrhagic fever) and Tularemia.
Diseases indirectly transmitted by rodents: Babesiosis, Colorado Tick Fever,
Cutaneous Leishmaniasis, Human Granulocytic Anaplasmosis, La Crosse Encephalitis, Lyme Disease, Murine Typhus, Omsk Hemorrhagic Fever, Powassan Virus, Scrub Typhus, Rickettsialpox, Relapsing Fever, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Sylvatic Typhus and West Nile Virus.
*Please reference the Florida Department of Health or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for more in depth details.