Prevention

Eliminate or minimize contact with rodents in your home, workplace, or campsite. If rodents don’t find that where you are is a good place for them to be, then you’re less likely to come into contact with them. Seal up holes and gaps in your home or garage. Place traps in and around your home to decrease rodent infestation. Clean up any easy-to-get food.

Recent research results show that many people who became ill with HPS developed the disease after having been in frequent contact with rodents and/or their droppings around a home or a workplace. On the other hand, many people who became ill reported that they had not seen rodents or rodent droppings at all. Therefore, if you live in an area where the carrier rodents are known to live, try to keep your home, vacation place, workplace, or campsite clean.

For more information on how you can prevent rodent infestations, the following information is available on the CDC Rodents site:

Got Mice?

Seal Up!

Seal up holes inside and outside the home to keep rodents out.

Trap Up!

Trap rodents around the home to help reduce the population.

Clean Up!

Avoid illness: Take precautions before and while cleaning rodent-infested areas.