[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: mouse droppings



Listmembers,

At Anne Foster's recommendation I contacted the CDC a few weeks ago about
mouse droppings and got the following very helpful reply:

Dear Ms. McCrea

Thank you for your question concerning hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS).
The length of time that hantaviruses will remain viable in the environment
depends upon the local conditions.  Viability for two to three days has been

shown at normal room temperature.  Exposure to sunlight will decrease the
time of viability.  Freezing temperatures will actually increase the time
that the virus remains viable, especially if not exposed to sunlight.

Our general guidelines, whether old or new droppings/dead rodents, are the
same.  Here is a brief explanation of our prevention guidelines:

1.      Before cleaning up, make sure that you put on rubber gloves.
2.      Don't stir up droppings/nesting materials by sweeping.  Instead,
thoroughly wet the materials with a general household disinfectant, or  with

a bleach solution (1.5 cups of bleach per gallon of water).
3.      Once everything is wet, use a damp towel to remove the materials,
then    follow with a mop or sponge using disinfectant.
4.      Make sure you completely saturate any rodents and then double bag
them    any cleaning materials, and then dispose of.
5.      Disinfect your gloves before removing them, then wash your hands
with    warm water and soap.  If you are wearing any clothing that could
have    become contaminated, simply launder as usual with warm water and
detergent.

If you are concerned about your books, you can do a couple of things.  You
need to determine that all of the mice are gone, and if not to then follow
our rodent prrofing techniques to do so.  You can then leave the books and
papers in an area free of rodents for about a week.  After that time, the
virus should be no longer infectious.  Wear rubber gloves and wipe the books

and papers with a cloth moistened with a household disinfectant to get rid
of any mouse droppings.  The books can then be reshelved.

If you are going into any areas that have been closed up (attics, storage
sheds, etc), you may want to open them up and let them air out for an hour
or so, before entering to clean.

These guidelines and more detail can be found on our "All About Hantavirus"
web page at http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hanta/hps.index.htm.

I hope I was able to answer your question, please feel free to contact us if

you need further assistance.

Sincerely,

Kimberly Dills
Special Pathogens Branch
DVRD/NCID/CDC


Donna E. McCrea
Local History Archivist & Librarian
Pikes Peak Library District
Colorado Springs, CO 80863
dmccrea@mail.ppld.org

A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List!

To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to listserv@listserv.muohio.edu
      In body of message:  SUB ARCHIVES firstname lastname
                    *or*:  UNSUB ARCHIVES
To post a message, send e-mail to archives@listserv.muohio.edu

Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at
     http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/archives.html

Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>