We often dismiss fleas by arguing they are tiny insects that can only suck blood and are not all that threatening. In some cases this belief is true but largely, fleas are more than capable of spreading a number of illnesses to both animals and humans. They transmit various diseases when they take a blood meal from the host. Often, we get worried about their presence since they seriously affect the health of our animals; cause infections, anemia, and even transmit diseases which can also affect our family as fleas and ticks may bite humans as well.
We have listed a few flea diseases you need to know about:
MURINE TYPHUS
Bacteria known as ‘Rickettsia typhi’ are the reason for this flea-borne disease. Fleas get infected when they bite infected animals like cats or rats, etc. Once the infected flea bites an animal or a person they defecate at the site. These bacteria then enter the body through the wound or when the person scratches the bite area.
Signs
In general, symptoms of this disease appear within two weeks of getting in contact with the infected fleas. These include, fever with chills, nausea, loss of appetite, body aches, vomiting, rash, etc. In some cases, people recover without any treatment and severe illness is uncommon. However, it can lead to one or more organ damage including heart, brain, kidneys, etc. if untreated.
