Avoid The Health Risks Of Raccoon Droppings
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Raccoons often live in backyards and under sheds and can even chew and claw their way into attics and build nests there. Wherever they live, raccoons leave feces behind. Raccoon droppings can carry diseases and parasites that can cause illnesses in humans if they are touched or inhaled.
Raccoons often defecate before they enter their dens, so droppings are commonly found in backyards and gardens. They can also be left on logs, decks, and roofs. Raccoons can defecate in compost piles, children’s sandboxes, fireplaces, garages, and other locations.
ILLNESSES CARRIED BY RACCOONS
Raccoons can carry a parasite called Bayliscaris procyonis, a roundworm that can cause illness in humans, especially children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems. Most people become exposed by coming into contact with raccoon feces that contain roundworm eggs. The eggs can survive for years in soil or water. This makes it possible for people to come into contact with the parasites through decomposed feces. The roundworms can cause symptoms that include nausea, fatigue, skin irritations, inattention, loss of coordination and muscle control, an enlarged liver, blindness, and coma.
Giardiasis is an infection that is carried in raccoon feces. It can contaminate water, soil, and any surface that it contacts. People can become infected if they ingest the cysts in the raccoon’s feces. Giardiasis can cause nausea, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and dehydration.
Raccoon feces in an attic can dry out and form fine particles that can stay in insulation and be inhaled by people. Then illnesses carried in the feces can infect humans.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT RACCOONS
If you find raccoon feces in or around your home and want to clean it up yourself, you should always wear protective clothing, including rubber gloves, rubber boots, disposable overalls, and a respirator. Either burn the droppings or double-bag them and bury them at least three feet deep. Do not put them in the trash unless they are well bagged because the eggs could infect a human or an animal. You can also hire a professional cleaning company to remove the droppings and disinfect the area.
If a raccoon is living in your attic or elsewhere on your property, the feces it leaves behind can pose a health risk to you and your family. Contact Anderson Wildlife Control to have the raccoon trapped and relocated to another location. We will find and seal off the entry point to keep it and others from coming back. Call us today for an estimate.