What initially comes to most people’s minds with squirrels and disease is rabies. Rabies is a genuine threat, as squirrels are one of the animals more likely to contract rabies. Even if you have vaccinated pets, rabies can still result in feral behavior and bites or scratches. However, rabies is by far not the only health risk from squirrels.
There many diseases that can be spread through squirrel feces if they infest an area like your attic. Similar in the way illnesses can be spread by other rodents, squirrel feces are a health hazard. The largest concern with squirrel waste is the presence of leptospirosis, which is a bacterial illness that is transmitted through the feces and urine of rodents.
Salmonella is another sickness that you can catch quite easily from squirrel waste. Salmonella will often cause symptoms like diarrhea and vomiting, but it is rarely fatal.
Plague might seem like something that is ancient history, but it’s still existent today. One of the largest risks of the disease are fleas on rodents such as squirrels. Moreover, the plague is not only active in the most remote or poverty-stricken areas of the world. Plague actually occurs in the western United States, especially in areas such as Arizona, California, Colorado, and New Mexico.
The bacteria that causes plague is spread by fleas and rotates naturally among wild rodents. Plague can also infect humans and their pets. Bubonic is the most prevalent form of plague. Bubonic plague most often occurs after being bitten by an infected flea—usually from rodents or from a flea infestation that came from rodents.
The main indicator of bubonic plague is a swollen, sore lymph node, most often in the groin, armpit area, or neck. Other symptoms can include high fever, the chills, headaches, and overwhelming fatigue. A person will usually experience symptoms of bubonic plague one to six days after being infected.
Septicemic plague happens when plague bacteria spikes in increase throughout the bloodstream. Symptoms include a high fever, extreme fatigue, light-headedness, and usually abdominal pain. Septicemic plague can rapidly lead to shock and organ failure. Pneumonic plague occurs when plague bacteria overtakes the lungs. Pneumonic plague, if not treated quickly, is almost always fatal.
