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What are the chances to catch rodent-transmitted illnesses while hiking?
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Small warning: This question comes from a germophobe point of view, so please keep this in mind while giving an answer.
I love hiking, but I'm worried of what kind of germs (read virus, bacterias and any parasite) you could get from touching things in the ground. The list of things are normal, natural objects like stones, sticks, leaves (dry or not), etc. My particular worry is rodent-transmitted illness like leptospirosis and hantavirus, since these transmit through the urine and feces of rats, and I don't know if the objects I get from the ground are contaminated or where at some point exposed to contamination. In addition, there has to be the consideration if the hands or skin touching the objects is cut, if the hands touches mouth, nose, eyes or ears, or also if one eats afterwards.
For additional context, when I say hiking, I mean hiking in USA Northeastern forests, in public state parks, on one of the trails (not outside the trails). My hikes are not particularly long, certainly not more than a few hours and do not involves the use of shelters or public bathrooms.
My question is, what are the chances that a human can get sick of any rodent-transmitted illness by touching natural objects while hiking?
hiking united-states health
edited 6 mins ago
imsodin
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up vote
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down vote
favorite
Small warning: This question comes from a germophobe point of view, so please keep this in mind while giving an answer.
I love hiking, but I'm worried of what kind of germs (read virus, bacterias and any parasite) you could get from touching things in the ground. The list of things are normal, natural objects like stones, sticks, leaves (dry or not), etc. My particular worry is rodent-transmitted illness like leptospirosis and hantavirus, since these transmit through the urine and feces of rats, and I don't know if the objects I get from the ground are contaminated or where at some point exposed to contamination. In addition, there has to be the consideration if the hands or skin touching the objects is cut, if the hands touches mouth, nose, eyes or ears, or also if one eats afterwards.
For additional context, when I say hiking, I mean hiking in USA Northeastern forests, in public state parks, on one of the trails (not outside the trails). My hikes are not particularly long, certainly not more than a few hours and do not involves the use of shelters or public bathrooms.
My question is, what are the chances that a human can get sick of any rodent-transmitted illness by touching natural objects while hiking?
hiking united-states health
edited 6 mins ago
imsodin
17.4k159109
asked 4 hours ago
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The UV component of sunlight is pretty good at killing germs and viruses (not as good as the UV-C lamps for hospital use, but still). For something like hantavirus, you really need to be messing around with rodent nests/toilet areas and stirring up stuff to breath it in. Note that the nests and toilet areas are not out in the sun at all. So, you are quite safe (from this worry).
– Jon Custer
3 hours ago
I do believe you are far more likely to get sick from rodent related anything in the city, or from a food item in your own pantry than you are to contract anything outdoors.
– ShemSeger
2 hours ago
If you are hiking a trail in a public state park then why would you need to touch anything with your hand?
– paparazzo
1 hour ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
favorite
up vote
1
down vote
favorite
Small warning: This question comes from a germophobe point of view, so please keep this in mind while giving an answer.
I love hiking, but I'm worried of what kind of germs (read virus, bacterias and any parasite) you could get from touching things in the ground. The list of things are normal, natural objects like stones, sticks, leaves (dry or not), etc. My particular worry is rodent-transmitted illness like leptospirosis and hantavirus, since these transmit through the urine and feces of rats, and I don't know if the objects I get from the ground are contaminated or where at some point exposed to contamination. In addition, there has to be the consideration if the hands or skin touching the objects is cut, if the hands touches mouth, nose, eyes or ears, or also if one eats afterwards.
For additional context, when I say hiking, I mean hiking in USA Northeastern forests, in public state parks, on one of the trails (not outside the trails). My hikes are not particularly long, certainly not more than a few hours and do not involves the use of shelters or public bathrooms.
My question is, what are the chances that a human can get sick of any rodent-transmitted illness by touching natural objects while hiking?
hiking united-states health
edited 6 mins ago
imsodin
17.4k159109
asked 4 hours ago
User
61
New contributor
User is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Small warning: This question comes from a germophobe point of view, so please keep this in mind while giving an answer.
I love hiking, but I'm worried of what kind of germs (read virus, bacterias and any parasite) you could get from touching things in the ground. The list of things are normal, natural objects like stones, sticks, leaves (dry or not), etc. My particular worry is rodent-transmitted illness like leptospirosis and hantavirus, since these transmit through the urine and feces of rats, and I don't know if the objects I get from the ground are contaminated or where at some point exposed to contamination. In addition, there has to be the consideration if the hands or skin touching the objects is cut, if the hands touches mouth, nose, eyes or ears, or also if one eats afterwards.
For additional context, when I say hiking, I mean hiking in USA Northeastern forests, in public state parks, on one of the trails (not outside the trails). My hikes are not particularly long, certainly not more than a few hours and do not involves the use of shelters or public bathrooms.
My question is, what are the chances that a human can get sick of any rodent-transmitted illness by touching natural objects while hiking?
hiking united-states health
hiking united-states health
edited 6 mins ago
imsodin
17.4k159109
asked 4 hours ago
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61
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edited 6 mins ago
imsodin
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asked 4 hours ago
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edited 6 mins ago
imsodin
17.4k159109
edited 6 mins ago
imsodin
17.4k159109
edited 6 mins ago
imsodin
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17.4k159109
asked 4 hours ago
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The UV component of sunlight is pretty good at killing germs and viruses (not as good as the UV-C lamps for hospital use, but still). For something like hantavirus, you really need to be messing around with rodent nests/toilet areas and stirring up stuff to breath it in. Note that the nests and toilet areas are not out in the sun at all. So, you are quite safe (from this worry).
– Jon Custer
3 hours ago
I do believe you are far more likely to get sick from rodent related anything in the city, or from a food item in your own pantry than you are to contract anything outdoors.
– ShemSeger
2 hours ago
If you are hiking a trail in a public state park then why would you need to touch anything with your hand?
– paparazzo
1 hour ago
add a comment |Â
The UV component of sunlight is pretty good at killing germs and viruses (not as good as the UV-C lamps for hospital use, but still). For something like hantavirus, you really need to be messing around with rodent nests/toilet areas and stirring up stuff to breath it in. Note that the nests and toilet areas are not out in the sun at all. So, you are quite safe (from this worry).
– Jon Custer
3 hours ago
I do believe you are far more likely to get sick from rodent related anything in the city, or from a food item in your own pantry than you are to contract anything outdoors.
– ShemSeger
2 hours ago
If you are hiking a trail in a public state park then why would you need to touch anything with your hand?
– paparazzo
1 hour ago
The UV component of sunlight is pretty good at killing germs and viruses (not as good as the UV-C lamps for hospital use, but still). For something like hantavirus, you really need to be messing around with rodent nests/toilet areas and stirring up stuff to breath it in. Note that the nests and toilet areas are not out in the sun at all. So, you are quite safe (from this worry).
– Jon Custer
3 hours ago
The UV component of sunlight is pretty good at killing germs and viruses (not as good as the UV-C lamps for hospital use, but still). For something like hantavirus, you really need to be messing around with rodent nests/toilet areas and stirring up stuff to breath it in. Note that the nests and toilet areas are not out in the sun at all. So, you are quite safe (from this worry).
– Jon Custer
3 hours ago
I do believe you are far more likely to get sick from rodent related anything in the city, or from a food item in your own pantry than you are to contract anything outdoors.
– ShemSeger
2 hours ago
I do believe you are far more likely to get sick from rodent related anything in the city, or from a food item in your own pantry than you are to contract anything outdoors.
– ShemSeger
2 hours ago
If you are hiking a trail in a public state park then why would you need to touch anything with your hand?
– paparazzo
1 hour ago
If you are hiking a trail in a public state park then why would you need to touch anything with your hand?
– paparazzo
1 hour ago
add a comment |Â
1 Answer
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up vote
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Very slim to be almost nonexistent.
From personal experience, I have not gotten any disease from touching/eating things while hiking. I am typically hiking in the midwest on and off trails.
Diseases from rodents are not something to be concerned about. First, while they are moving along leaving urine and feces about, they are not covering everything. So that reduces your risk of exposure. A further reduction is that not all rodents will be carriers.
The second consideration would be the number of cases of the disease each year. The US had 27 cases of leptospirosis and the CDC has recorded just over 700 cases since 1993 as of Jan 2017. Considering that there are over 44 million hikers in the US, many of which are east of the Mississippi means that the chances of getting these diseases are very small. (A further point being that I would imagine that most people get the disease from handling rodents rather than secondary contact)
This suggests that your chances are incredibly slim for contracting any diseases from rodents by just going on hikes.
That being said, you should be concerned with lyme and other illnesses that are transmitted via mosquitoes and ticks. But that can be mitigated with proper clothing and insect repellent.
answered 3 hours ago
Schleis
2593
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1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
4
down vote
Very slim to be almost nonexistent.
From personal experience, I have not gotten any disease from touching/eating things while hiking. I am typically hiking in the midwest on and off trails.
Diseases from rodents are not something to be concerned about. First, while they are moving along leaving urine and feces about, they are not covering everything. So that reduces your risk of exposure. A further reduction is that not all rodents will be carriers.
The second consideration would be the number of cases of the disease each year. The US had 27 cases of leptospirosis and the CDC has recorded just over 700 cases since 1993 as of Jan 2017. Considering that there are over 44 million hikers in the US, many of which are east of the Mississippi means that the chances of getting these diseases are very small. (A further point being that I would imagine that most people get the disease from handling rodents rather than secondary contact)
This suggests that your chances are incredibly slim for contracting any diseases from rodents by just going on hikes.
That being said, you should be concerned with lyme and other illnesses that are transmitted via mosquitoes and ticks. But that can be mitigated with proper clothing and insect repellent.
answered 3 hours ago
Schleis
2593
New contributor
Schleis is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
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up vote
4
down vote
Very slim to be almost nonexistent.
From personal experience, I have not gotten any disease from touching/eating things while hiking. I am typically hiking in the midwest on and off trails.
Diseases from rodents are not something to be concerned about. First, while they are moving along leaving urine and feces about, they are not covering everything. So that reduces your risk of exposure. A further reduction is that not all rodents will be carriers.
The second consideration would be the number of cases of the disease each year. The US had 27 cases of leptospirosis and the CDC has recorded just over 700 cases since 1993 as of Jan 2017. Considering that there are over 44 million hikers in the US, many of which are east of the Mississippi means that the chances of getting these diseases are very small. (A further point being that I would imagine that most people get the disease from handling rodents rather than secondary contact)
This suggests that your chances are incredibly slim for contracting any diseases from rodents by just going on hikes.
That being said, you should be concerned with lyme and other illnesses that are transmitted via mosquitoes and ticks. But that can be mitigated with proper clothing and insect repellent.
answered 3 hours ago
Schleis
2593
New contributor
Schleis is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
add a comment |Â
up vote
4
down vote
up vote
4
down vote
Very slim to be almost nonexistent.
From personal experience, I have not gotten any disease from touching/eating things while hiking. I am typically hiking in the midwest on and off trails.
Diseases from rodents are not something to be concerned about. First, while they are moving along leaving urine and feces about, they are not covering everything. So that reduces your risk of exposure. A further reduction is that not all rodents will be carriers.
The second consideration would be the number of cases of the disease each year. The US had 27 cases of leptospirosis and the CDC has recorded just over 700 cases since 1993 as of Jan 2017. Considering that there are over 44 million hikers in the US, many of which are east of the Mississippi means that the chances of getting these diseases are very small. (A further point being that I would imagine that most people get the disease from handling rodents rather than secondary contact)
This suggests that your chances are incredibly slim for contracting any diseases from rodents by just going on hikes.
That being said, you should be concerned with lyme and other illnesses that are transmitted via mosquitoes and ticks. But that can be mitigated with proper clothing and insect repellent.
answered 3 hours ago
Schleis
2593
New contributor
Schleis is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Very slim to be almost nonexistent.
From personal experience, I have not gotten any disease from touching/eating things while hiking. I am typically hiking in the midwest on and off trails.
Diseases from rodents are not something to be concerned about. First, while they are moving along leaving urine and feces about, they are not covering everything. So that reduces your risk of exposure. A further reduction is that not all rodents will be carriers.
The second consideration would be the number of cases of the disease each year. The US had 27 cases of leptospirosis and the CDC has recorded just over 700 cases since 1993 as of Jan 2017. Considering that there are over 44 million hikers in the US, many of which are east of the Mississippi means that the chances of getting these diseases are very small. (A further point being that I would imagine that most people get the disease from handling rodents rather than secondary contact)
This suggests that your chances are incredibly slim for contracting any diseases from rodents by just going on hikes.
That being said, you should be concerned with lyme and other illnesses that are transmitted via mosquitoes and ticks. But that can be mitigated with proper clothing and insect repellent.
answered 3 hours ago
Schleis
2593
New contributor
Schleis is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited 2 hours ago
answered 3 hours ago
Schleis
2593
New contributor
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answered 3 hours ago
Schleis
2593
answered 3 hours ago
Schleis
2593
2593
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Schleis is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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New contributor
Schleis is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
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Check out our Code of Conduct.
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The UV component of sunlight is pretty good at killing germs and viruses (not as good as the UV-C lamps for hospital use, but still). For something like hantavirus, you really need to be messing around with rodent nests/toilet areas and stirring up stuff to breath it in. Note that the nests and toilet areas are not out in the sun at all. So, you are quite safe (from this worry).
– Jon Custer
3 hours ago
I do believe you are far more likely to get sick from rodent related anything in the city, or from a food item in your own pantry than you are to contract anything outdoors.
– ShemSeger
2 hours ago
If you are hiking a trail in a public state park then why would you need to touch anything with your hand?
– paparazzo
1 hour ago