Will I get plague if I have mice at home? What is the source of plague?

Because Beijing Chaoyang Hospital admitted two plague patients, people were panicked and many people were worried that they were also infected. Many people asked if they would get plague if they had rats at home, and what is the general source of plague infection? In fact, plague is still quite scary, but it has existed for a long time and is not widely spread. We just need to pay attention to prevention in our lives.

Can I get plague if I have mice in my house?

Generally, rats need fleas as a medium to infect humans. There is also a chance of infection through direct contact with sick animals or eating. If your rats are not from an epidemic area, infection is generally not a big problem and you don't have to worry too much. However, frequent contact with rats can cause infection with other bacteria. It is recommended to clean the room and eliminate rats.

What is the source of plague infection?

One is contact with animals infected with plague, such as skinning and cooking;

The second is being bitten by fleas carrying plague bacteria;

The third way is transmission among patients with pneumonic plague, that is, healthy people come into contact with patients with pneumonic plague and are infected through inhalation through the respiratory tract. This method of infection mainly causes pneumonic plague.

Bubonic plague can be complicated by septicemia and lead to pneumonic plague. The plague bacteria in the patient's sputum can be transmitted from person to person through droplets or aerosols, causing a pandemic of human plague.

In addition, there is a chance of infection through direct contact with the patient's sputum, pus, the skin, blood, and meat of sick animals, inhalation of contaminated dust, chewing fleas, and eating uncooked wild rodents.

Transmission routes: The transmission of plague in animals and humans is mainly mediated by rat fleas. When rat fleas suck rat blood containing pathogens, the bacteria multiply in large numbers in the flea stomach, forming bacterial plugs that block the forestomach. When the fleas suck blood again, the pathogens are regurgitated along with the sucked blood and injected into the animal or human body. Flea feces also contain plague bacteria, which can enter the skin due to itching. This "rat → flea → human" transmission method is the main transmission method of plague.

How to Prevent Plague

Don’t touch wild marmots. Don’t kiss or feed wild marmots. Especially those young intellectuals who went to that internet-famous Buddhist college in Sichuan. I’m talking about you!

If you see a herdsman touching a wild marmot, stay away from the herdsman as well!

If you see a dead marmot in the wild, stay away from it! Don’t get close to it! Don’t touch it!

Don't even go near marmot holes! Because there are fleas on wild marmots and in their holes and near the entrances! Fleas are the most important vector of plague!