Beaver Diseases – Humane Wildlife Removal

What Diseases Do Beavers Carry?

Many animals carry diseases we, as humans, need to be wary of. Beavers are not in this group of particularly infectious animals, but that doesn’t mean they don’t carry diseases. The most dangerous disease is rabies, as most people at least have in mind when coming in contact with a wild animal. The only other disease that can infect people is beaver fever or giardiasis.

What Is Beaver Fever

Beaver Fever is an intestinal illness caused by a parasite called Giardia lamblia. It’s actually a pretty common infection that causes diarrhea. Anyone can become infected with it, but it’s much more common among children and daycare workers (after coming in contact with an infected child).

How Does Beaver Fever Spread

Beaver Fever is easily spread from person to person, person to animal, and animal to person, through fecal matter. This is why it’s most common among children and daycare workers because the workers handle diaper changes or bathroom situations that can put them in contact with the disease.

Those children get it from untreated freshwater areas, like ponds and streams. Beavers aren’t the only animal that carries this disease, but it does gain most of the attention for it because beavers are so prominent in freshwater areas and can easily contaminate the area.

What Are the Symptoms of Beaver Fever?

Diarrhea is the main symptom of Beaver Fever. Infected people can also exhibit stomach cramps, gas, nausea, and dehydration. These are all symptoms of severe diarrhea, as well, so it goes hand-in-hand.

How Is Beaver Fever Treated and Prevented?

Beaver Fever is easily treated through antibiotics. A lot of people don’t even know they are infected with it, so they don’t seek medical attention. Most of these people will recover on their own within a few weeks. The rest will still exhibit symptoms and eventually need to get antibiotics. It’s not a life-threatening disease.

Preventing the spread of Beaver Fever is simple: wash your hands. Most of the time, this disease is spread through poor hygiene practices in places such as daycare centers. Washing your hands and sanitizing bathrooms and changing stations is the ideal way to prevent the spread of it.

Since the origin of this disease is generally in contaminated water, it’s best to keep kids out of freshwater areas that beavers inhabit. There are other ways to be infected with it (i.e. other animals, handling fecal matter), but being aware of its presence and common locale will help prevent the initial infection and spread. Luckily, it’s not a life-threatening disease. You’ll just be uncomfortable for about a week.