Hantavirus and pets, a busy tick and flea year, and a Jacksonville roach problem

This roundup covers 3 stories on cockroaches, fleas, rodents, and ticks.

Cats and dogs can meet hantavirus without getting sick like people do

Cats and dogs can become infected with hantavirus, but they generally don't show symptoms, and vets say they're unlikely to infect their owners. Even an infected pet doesn't pass the virus to people, and there's no test to check whether a pet carries it.

The real risk comes from wild rodents, not pets. If a cat or dog brings one home and then seems unwell, call a vet.

Hantavirus cases are rare in the U.S. and cluster mostly in California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona, according to the CDC. People typically catch it by breathing in dust from rodent droppings or nesting material while cleaning sheds, cabins, or garages, not from a pet.

What it means for you: Wear a mask and gloves to remove any rodent your pet brings home, then wash your hands well afterward.

Source: ABC News

Busy tick and flea year puts fast tick removal first

Ticks and fleas have been especially active this year. ER visits for tick bites nationally hit their highest levels for this time of year since 2017, according to the CDC. In Bryan-College Station, Texas, tick-bite cases haven't spiked the way they have nationally, doctors say.

Veterinarians see plenty of fleas alongside the ticks, and fleas on indoor cats have become a bigger problem this year. Drought is the likely driver, pushing fleas indoors through cracks and baseboards the same way it pushes in roaches. Fleas hitch a ride on people and pets, and can trigger allergic reactions or spread bacterial infections like cat scratch disease.

Most tick-borne diseases take 24 hours or more to spread, so fast removal matters most. Lyme disease can take 36 to 48 hours, while ehrlichiosis can spread in as little as 24 hours. Check pets in the ears, skin folds, neck, armpits, groin, and between the toes.

What it means for you: Pull ticks off people and pets fast, since most tick-borne diseases need 24 hours or more to spread.

Source: KBTX

Jacksonville senior's roach problem outlasts repeated spraying

An 80-year-old woman has lived in a Section 8 unit at Timuquana Park Apartments since 1991. Roaches spread into her kitchen cabinets and light fixtures. Droppings sat in a drawer, and roaches crawled on a wall and near her couch. Apartment staff sprayed the unit multiple times without success.

A city inspector documented a severe roach infestation. The complex received a warning citation. Fines remain possible until the property owners comply. The complex dates to 1981 and holds 100 subsidized housing units.

Staff plan to treat the unit once a week. Each treatment requires four to six hours away, and the woman has nowhere to go during treatments. Moving her offers no sure fix, because cockroaches travel with belongings.

What it means for you: Cockroaches travel with belongings, so moving furniture and boxes out of an infested home can carry the problem along.

Source: Hoodline