Russians began to become more likely to become infected with hemorrhagic fever while cleaning in the country

The beginning of the summer season is approaching, which means it’s time to do a general cleaning in a country house. Without you, rodents could take over. Sometimes traces of their vital activity are found not only in the basement or barn, but even in the kitchen. However, doctors warn: do not rush to grab a broom and a rag from the threshold. Put on personal protective equipment first. Rodents are carriers of a deadly virus – hemorrhagic fever. Over the year, the number of cases of this infection in Russia has increased by as much as 3 times!

Anna has a dacha near Serpukhov. Usually a woman comes to the site for the May holidays, before there is nothing to do there – it is too cold in a summer garden house without heating. Therefore, in winter and early spring, there is no one at the dacha, but there is expanse for mice.

“We don’t raise our hand to poison them or set mousetraps,” says Anya. – We try not to leave anything edible in the house for the winter, but this does not always help. So this time, I quickly discovered on the terrace, which serves us at the same time as a kitchen, traces of gray pranksters.

Of course, I immediately rolled up my sleeves and started cleaning. Felt bad after the holidays. Suddenly, the temperature rose sharply, the whole body began to ache. The first thought was that she caught a cold or, even worse, caught a coronavirus, but the diagnosis turned out to be completely unexpected. In the hospital, where I ended up a few days later, it turned out that I had hemorrhagic fever, and I contracted it from mice when I was cleaning in the country.

“Hemorrhagic fevers are a whole group of infectious diseases of a viral nature. Vectors can be mosquitoes, ticks, squirrels, monkeys, bats, and most often our common field mice.

It is clear that in the Moscow region the easiest way to get infected is from the latter. The peculiarity of mouse fever is that the virus infects the walls of blood vessels, which leads to the development of hemorrhagic syndrome, that is, the vessels begin to bleed. And if the disease is not treated on time, it can lead to kidney failure and even death,” says infectious disease specialist Olga Bogatyreva.

According to her, Anna’s story accurately conveys the clinical picture of the disease. After the virus enters the human body, the first signs of the disease may not appear immediately. The incubation period lasts from 4 to 46 days – it all depends on the person’s immunity. During this time, the virus actively multiplies, pathogenic cells accumulate in various organs and lymph nodes of the patient, while he may not feel any symptoms of the disease for a long time.

Fortunately, the mouse fever virus is not transmitted from person to person, so we are not threatened with another pandemic. Nevertheless, the number of people who fell ill with this disease over the year in Russia increased three times at once – up to almost 7 thousand people. Doctors are vague about the reasons: either there are more mice, or the immunity of the population has decreased against the background of the coronavirus.

“Cleaning in the country must be carried out in a mask, and even better in a respirator and rubber gloves. The virus can enter the human body through the respiratory system along with dust, for example, when you sweep in a barn or basement of a house where mice lived in winter. Or if you started washing floors without rubber gloves, one small wound on your hand is enough for the infection to get into the blood.

It is no less dangerous to use food, water, dishes or cereals, sugar, salt contaminated with mouse excrement,” the expert says.

Only 175 cases of hemorrhagic fever have been registered in the Moscow region, which seems to be quite a few, but who can guarantee that you or someone close to you will not be one of these lucky ones? Anna, who went to the hospital in time, where she was quickly diagnosed, still had a very long time to recover from the consequences of a serious infection.

“The danger of mouse fever is that very often it is mistaken for a common cold or flu. The disease begins with high fever, headache and muscle pain, flies appear in the eyes. Since in many patients the disease is accompanied by severe intoxication of the body, their consciousness may be confused, delirium, hallucinations begin, and the heart rhythm is disturbed. A few days later, a hemorrhagic rash appears on the face, arms, neck, and mucous membranes in the oral cavity. This disease is treated only in a hospital, so the sooner the patient goes there, the more chances he has for a full recovery, ”the doctor notes.