DANGER: Beware of rodents, fleas

Precipitation is great, but along with it comes a myriad of other problems, such as an increase in rodent populations. And, with an increase in the number of rodents, we then will see an increase in rodent-borne diseases, such as plague and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS).

In nearby Colorado, health officials have already reported three cases of HPS, including 1 death, and 2 cases of bubonic plague. The risk factors of the HPS cases that have been identified by officials there included rodent infestations around the primary living residences and agricultural work, which included the cleaning of crop storage bins.

Health officials from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment pointed out in a recent press release that the Colorado plague cases were both most likely infected by fleabites that they sustained around their homes.

And Colorado is not alone. Kansas health officials reported two HPS cases, which occurred April 2004 and March 2005. Although no human plague cases have been reported for this time period, it is most likely only a matter of time before it will happen in our state. There were five cases reported in the United States in 1996, two of those were fatal.

KDHE officials have reported that plague has struck prairie dog towns in Kansas throughout the past several years. Plague will kill off entire prairie dog towns, as these animals are very susceptible to the disease.

KDHE recommends that anyone who sees a large number of animals in an area dying should contact the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.

Hantavirus Pulmonary syndrome is a deadly disease, which is transmitted by infected rodents through urine, droppings or saliva. Humans can contract the disease when they breathe in aerosolized virus. HPS was first recognized in 1993 and has since been identified throughout the United States. Although rare, HPS is potentially deadly. Rodent control in and around the home remains the primary strategy for preventing hantavirus infection.

Through May 3, 2005, a total of 387 cases of HPS have been reported in the United States. (The case count started when the disease was first recognized in May 1993.) Thirty-six percent of all reported cases have resulted in death.

Of persons ill with HPS, 62 percent have been male, 38 percent female. The mean age of confirmed case patients is 38 years (range: 10 to 83 years).

HPS can strike anyone; however, whites currently account for 78 percent of all cases. American Indians account for about 19 percent of cases, African Americans for 2 percent, and Asians for 1 percent of cases. About 13 percent of HPS cases have been reported among Hispanics (ethnicity considered separately from race.).

Whatever the statistics, everyone should use caution when traveling or in their day-to-day activities when coming in contact with rodents or insects which can carry diseases such as fleas, mosquitoes or flies, particularly in areas where there has been a great deal of precipitation.