Amongst all kinds of fever that we have heard and seen, Rat fever is considered the most terrible one. Death rate of people dying from rat fever is high. Places affected from flood are at the highest risks and must be taken care. Thus it is very important to know its symptoms, causes and treatments.
What is rat bite fever?
Rat fever is an infection on blood vessels due to bacteria called Leptospira. The scientific name of Rat fever is known as Leptospirosis. We can expect the attack of Rat fever at any time however mostly this fever is spread along the country during monsoon season. Rat fever may be seen in any age group but the chance of fever is very high in between 22-50 age group. It is found in children very rarely. This fever is commonly found in the people who are working in the paddy fields. The bacteria enter into the human body from dirty water mud on the ground and pond which has the feces and urine of rat. Mainly this bacteria enters into human body through wounds, eyes, and drinking water. It is only a kind of fever but the most dangerous. Without proper treatment it will affect on kidney, heart, lungs and veins that can cause death. It is also said that getting bit by one kind of rat can also cause rat fever.
How do people get rat bite fever?
- People are most commonly infected through bites or scratches from a rat. Even minor bites can lead to cause rat fever.
- Any close contact with rat, or sharing food , allowing a rat to lick a wound on the skin can cause.
- Consuming food or drink that has been contaminated with the causative bacteria can also resulting in a form of rat bite fever called Haverhill Fever.
- Rat fever does not spread from one person to another.
How to identify this fever?
The bacteria enters into a human body after 6-8 days, this is the time when symptoms occur. After 8-9 days the temperature gradually decreases and the patient feels some relax. At this moment the symptoms will entirely different from first stage. The patient gets severe headache, high fever, severe muscle pain and red color eyes, One feel pain in the upper lung muscles and stomach muscles. The headache start from the back side of the head and gradually spread to forehead and other parts of the body like neck, upper arms and stomach.Major signs one should not ignore are:
- High fever
- Headache
- Chills
- Muscle aches
- Vomiting
- Jaundice(Yellow skin and eyes)
- Red eyes
- Abdominal pain
- Diarrhea
- Rash
- Shivering
- Chest Pain
- Red colored Urine
How to prevent Rat fever?
Without treatment, rat fever can lead to severe complications, including pneumonia, meningitis, infection of the heart and infection of the blood, leading to death in 7-10% of cases. Therefore if any symptom is found reach your doctor as soon as possible. As it is said that prevention is better than cure, take all measure to help keep the cause at bay:
- We should keep our surroundings hygienic
- Eliminate rat from surroundings and do not touch them with unprotected hands.
- Cover all cuts or wounds on your body with waterproof plasters and wear protective clothing.
- Avoid immersion in natural water which may contain the feces and urine of rats.
- wear footwear.
- Shower after contact with domestic animal, animal are the carrier of these bacteria which can be enter in to human body from domestic animals easily.
- If you are bitten by a rat, wash the wound immediately and thoroughly with soap and water.
- Take medical treatment on time,do not try to treat yourself. Without treatment rat fever can even cause death.
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