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Here are some infectious diseases found in the Great Outdoors:
Hantavirus
Deer mice shed this virus in their urine, droppings, and saliva. Humans catch it when they breathe in air contaminated with the virus.
Any activity that puts workers in contact with rodent droppings, urine, saliva, or nesting materials can place them at risk for infection. Anyone who works in construction, utility, or pest control can be exposed when working in crawl spaces, under houses, or in vacant buildings that may have a rodent population.
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Exposed individuals can develop “hantavirus pulmonary syndrome,” a lung infection that is fatal in almost 40 percent of cases. Early symptoms of infection resemble the flu. After 4 to 10 days, sufferers will develop coughing, shortness of breath, and a suffocating sensation as the lungs fill with fluid.
To protect workers:
- Control dust exposures. Avoid actions that raise dust, such as sweeping or vacuuming, wherever rodents have been or rodent droppings are present.
- Wear personal protective equipment. If employees will be working in an area where rodents, their nests, or their droppings could be present, they should wear a tight-fitting respirator with N-100 or P-100 filters and rubber, latex, vinyl, or nitrile gloves. Before removing gloves, wash your gloved hands in a disinfectant or chlorine solution; afterward, wash your bare hands in soap and water.
Lyme disease
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection transmitted by tick bites. Carrier ticks are found throughout the eastern United States, predominantly in the Northeast and in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, as well as along the west coast. They are active year-round.
Symptoms may take 30 days to appear. Initial symptoms are flu-like; victims may also develop a red, expanding skin rash that resembles a bull’s eye. If the disease is not treated, it can return later and cause nerve damage or arthritis.
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To protect themselves, workers should:
- Dress appropriately. When they work in areas with long grasses, shrubs, or leaf litter, wear light-colored clothing. Workers should tuck long pants into their boots or socks, and wear long sleeves. They can also wear clothing made of insect netting (available through sporting goods stores or outdoor equipment catalogs).
- Apply repellent or insecticide. Workers should lightly apply insect repellents that contain DEET or picaridin to exposed skin, avoiding broken skin. They can apply the insecticide permethrin to clothing; clothes should be allowed to dry for 2 hours before wearing. Workers should wash treated skin and clothing when they come indoors.
Tomorrow, we’ll look at another infectious disease that affects outdoor workers: West Nile virus.