3 ms·

Be careful, as Squirrels often carry hunta virus and plague.

by dzink 5y ago

jansanchez 5y ago
Did you mean hantavirus? According to the CDC [0] squirrels do not carry that virus. [0] https://www.cdc.gov/rodents/diseases/direct.html https://www.cdc.gov/rodents/diseases/direct.html
- goldenkey 5y ago
  https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/woman-says-squirrels-source-of-hantavirus/article_83e0ee6b-d251-5e34-a124-2b29679c6e57.html https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/woman-says... A Canadian public-health Web site says although deer mice are the primary carrier of hantavirus, "all rodents including squirrels, rats, chipmunks and other kinds of mice should be treated as if they might carry the virus."
  - syshum 5y ago
    Now I am confused, Which Experts™ should I listen to.
    - goldenkey 5y ago
      Those Experts™ all started life as egg-spurts just like us. Just do a bit more research and trust your heart and judgment. Generally, the method for disease decisions (epidemiology) is to look up the statistics for your area. You may not even have any Hanta virus cases nearby. And plague is extremely rare. Field rodents aren't as likely to carry disease as city vermin. I wouldn't worry too much about rural squirrels. They are cute and generally eat nuts, not insects. It is far less likely for a squirrel to contract a contagion because the squirrel isn't eating trash like pigeons or rats.
munificent 5y ago
My wife has volunteered at a wildlife rehab place (PAWS) before and worked with squirrels. They have very strict protocols about animal-borne diseases. For example, you don't get to work with bats at all unless you have taken the rabies vaccine. They don't have any particular protocols around working with local gray squirrels, so I interpret that to mean that there is little risk. There were only 243 cases of bubonic plague globally in 2018. According to the CDC, there are no known cases of hantavirus from squirrels. The only rodent species that have been seen to harbor it are deer mouse, white-footed mouse, rice rat, and cotton rat. (Neither of the latter are rat species you are likely to encounter, which are Norway and roof rats.) "<common cute urban animal> causes <horrific thing>" is a very pervasive meme because it combines a familiar thing we're drawn to with a high risk negative outcome. That means the meme will spread dramatically out of proportion with its actual likelihood.

Be careful, as Squirrels often carry hunta virus and plague.

by dzink 5y ago

Be careful, as Squirrels often carry hunta virus and plague.

Did you mean hantavirus? According to the CDC [0] squirrels do not carry that virus. [0] https://www.cdc.gov/rodents/diseases/direct.html https://www.cdc.gov/rodents/diseases/direct.html

goldenkey 5y ago
https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/woman-says-squirrels-source-of-hantavirus/article_83e0ee6b-d251-5e34-a124-2b29679c6e57.html https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/woman-says... A Canadian public-health Web site says although deer mice are the primary carrier of hantavirus, "all rodents including squirrels, rats, chipmunks and other kinds of mice should be treated as if they might carry the virus."
- syshum 5y ago
  Now I am confused, Which Experts™ should I listen to.
  - goldenkey 5y ago
    Those Experts™ all started life as egg-spurts just like us. Just do a bit more research and trust your heart and judgment. Generally, the method for disease decisions (epidemiology) is to look up the statistics for your area. You may not even have any Hanta virus cases nearby. And plague is extremely rare. Field rodents aren't as likely to carry disease as city vermin. I wouldn't worry too much about rural squirrels. They are cute and generally eat nuts, not insects. It is far less likely for a squirrel to contract a contagion because the squirrel isn't eating trash like pigeons or rats.

munificent 5y ago

My wife has volunteered at a wildlife rehab place (PAWS) before and worked with squirrels. They have very strict protocols about animal-borne diseases. For example, you don't get to work with bats at all unless you have taken the rabies vaccine. They don't have any particular protocols around working with local gray squirrels, so I interpret that to mean that there is little risk. There were only 243 cases of bubonic plague globally in 2018. According to the CDC, there are no known cases of hantavirus from squirrels. The only rodent species that have been seen to harbor it are deer mouse, white-footed mouse, rice rat, and cotton rat. (Neither of the latter are rat species you are likely to encounter, which are Norway and roof rats.) "<common cute urban animal> causes <horrific thing>" is a very pervasive meme because it combines a familiar thing we're drawn to with a high risk negative outcome. That means the meme will spread dramatically out of proportion with its actual likelihood.