INCLUDED ARE SELECTED SECTIONS OF THIS CDC DOCUMENT - FOR THE COMPLETE TEXT CONTACT CDC

US DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Public Health Service
Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC)
Atlanta, Georgia 30333

• Follow the recommendations in the section on Eliminating Rodents Inside the Home.
• Keep food (including pet food) and water covered and stored in rodent-proof metal or thick plastic containers with tight-fitting lids.
• Store garbage inside homes in rodent-proof metal or thick plastic containers with tight-fitting lids.
• Wash dishes and cooking utensils immediately after use and remove all spilled food.
• Dispose of trash and clutter.
• Use spring-loaded rodent traps in the home continuously.
• As an adjunct to traps, use rodenticide with bait under a plywood or plastic shelter (covered bait station) on an ongoing basis inside the house

Note:  Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-approved rodenticides are commercially available. Instructions on product use should always be followed. Products that are used outdoors should be specifically approved for exterior use. Any use of a rodenticide should be preceded by use of an insecticide to reduce the risk of plague transmission. Insecticide sprays or powders can be used in place of aerosols if they are appropriately labeled for flea control.

• Use steel wool or cement to seal, screen, or otherwise cover all openings into the home that have a diameter 2 1/4 inch.
• Place metal roof flashing as a rodent barrier around the base of wooden, earthen, or adobe dwellings up to a height of 12 inches and buried in the soil to a depth of 6 inches.
• Place 3 inches of gravel under the base of homes or under mobile homes to discourage rodent burrowing.

Reduce rodent shelter and food sources within I00 feet of the home.

• Use raised cement foundations in new construction of sheds, barns, outbuildings, or woodpiles.
• When possible, place woodpiles 100 feet or more from the house, and elevate wood at least 12 inches off the ground.
• Store grains and animal feed in rodent-proof containers.
• Near buildings, remove food sources that might attract rodents, or store food and water in rodent-proof containers.
• Store hay on pallets, and use traps or rodenticide continuously to keep hay free of rodents.
• Dispose of garbage and trash in rodent-proof containers that are elevated at least 12 inches off the ground.
• Haul away trash, abandoned vehicles, discarded tires, and other items that may serve as rodent nesting sites.
• Cut grass, brush, and dense shrubbery within 100 feet of the home.
• Place spring-loaded rodent traps at likely spots for rodent shelter within 100 feet around the home, and use continuously.
• Use an EPA-registered rodenticide approved for outside use in covered bait stations at places likely to shelter rodents within 100 feet of the home.

NOTE: Follow the recommendations specified in the section on Clean-Up of Rodent-Contaminated Areas if rodent nests are encountered while these measures are being carried out.

• Before rodent elimination work is begun, ventilate closed buildings or areas inside buildings by opening doors and windows for at least 30 minutes. Use an exhaust fan or cross ventilation if possible. Leave the area until the airing-out period is finished. This airing may help remove any aerosolized virus inside the closed-in structure.
• Second, seal, screen, or otherwise cover all openings into the home that have a diameter of 2 1/4 inch. Then set rodent traps inside the house, using peanut butter as bait. Use only spring loaded traps that kill rodents.
• Next, treat the interior of the structure with an insecticide labeled for flea control; follow specific label instructions. Insecticide sprays or powders can be used in place of aerosols if they are appropriately labeled for flea control. Rodenticides may also be used while the interior is being, treated, as outlined below.
• Remove captured rodents from the traps. Wear rubber or plastic gloves while handling rodents. Place the carcasses in a plastic bag containing a sufficient amount of a general-purpose household disinfectant to thoroughly wet the carcasses. Seal the bag and then dispose of it by burying in a 2- to 3-foot-deep hole or by burning. If burying or burning are not feasible, contact your local or state health department about other appropriate disposal methods. Rebait and reset all sprung traps.
• Before removing the gloves, wash gloved hands in a general household disinfectant and then in soap and water. A hypochlorite solution prepared by mixing 3 tablespoons of household bleach in 1 gallon of water may be used in place of a commercial disinfectant. When using the chlorine solution, avoid spilling the mixture on clothing or other Items that may be damaged. Thoroughly wash hands with soap and water after removing the gloves.
• Leave several baited, spring-loaded traps inside the house at all times as a further precaution against rodent re-infestation. Examine the traps regularly. Disinfect traps no longer in use by washing in a general household disinfectant or the hypochlodte solution. Disinfect and wash gloves as described above, and wash hands thoroughly with soap and water before beginning other activities.

NOTE: EPA-approved rodenticides are commercially available. Instructions on product use should always be followed. Products that are used outdoors should be specifically approved for exterior use. Any use of a rodenticide should be preceded by use of an insecticide to reduce the risk of plague transmission. Insecticide sprays or powders can be used in place of aerosols if they are appropriately labeled for flea control.

• Persons involved in the clean-up should wear rubber or plastic gloves.
• Spray dead rodents, rodent nests, droppings, or foods or other items that have been tainted by rodents with a general-purpose household disinfectant. Soak the material thoroughly, and place in a plastic bag. When clean-up is complete (or when the bag is full), seal the bag, then place it into a second plastic bag and seal. Dispose of the bagged material by burying in a 2- to 3 foot-deep hole or by burning. If these alternatives are not feasible, contact the local or state health department concerning other appropriate disposal methods.
• After the above items have been removed, mop floors with a solution of water, detergent, and disinfectant. Spray dirt floors with a disinfectant solution. A second mopping or spraying of floors with a general-purpose household disinfectant is optional. Carpets can be effectively disinfected with household disinfectants or by commercial-grade steam cleaning or shampooing. To avoid generating potentially Infectious aerosols, do not vacuum or sweep dry surfaces before mopping.
• Disinfect countertops, cabinets, drawers, and other durable surfaces by washing them with a solution of detergent, water, and disinfectant, followed by an optional wiping-down with a general-purpose household disinfectant.
• Rugs and upholstered furniture should be steam cleaned or shampooed. If rodents have nested inside furniture and the nests are not accessible for decontamination, the furniture should be removed and burned.
• Launder potentially contaminated bedding and clothing with hot water and detergent. (Use rubber or plastic gloves when handling the dirty laundry; then wash and disinfect gloves as described in the section on Eliminating Rodents Inside the Home.) Machine-dry laundry on a high setting or hang it to air dry in the sun.