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What You Should Know...
HANTAVIRUS
 Photo of house mouse
A serious, life-threatening disease carried by rodents....
The Hantavirus is an illness caused by breathing virus carried in the particles that are airborne from rodent urine, droppings, or saliva.
The best protection for your and your family against the virus is to prevent rodents from entering buildings and to clean and disinfect where they have lived or traveled.
 Discourage rodents by properly storing garbage, food, and water in containers with tight-fitting lids.
Keep areas where rodents can make a home closed, such as holes in buildings or harborage area under firewood.
Trap and destroy rodents. Contact your health department's rodent control office for information regarding baiting materials.
Use rubber gloves to handle captured rodents, and place in a plastic bag.
Seek medical attention if you have flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, severe body aches, and breathing trouble after contact with rodents.
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Photo of Norway rat
Stop the spread of Hantavirus in its tracks! Rats are like people - they need a place to live and food to eat. If their shelter, food and water are removed, rats CAN be eliminated.
For more information call the Memphis and Shelby County Health Department's Rodent Control Program at
(901) 324-5547, Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Additional Resources
National Center for Infectious Diseases (CDC)
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