76-Year-Old Woman Wakes Up With Horrific Facial Injuries Due to Rodent Attack; Can Rat Bites Kill You?

Seventy-six-year-old Diana Kirk was left with nightmare injuries after a vicious rodent clawed into her chin and neck inside her Nottinghamshire home last week.

The pensioner described as "brain-damaged" woke up covered in blood after a huge rat brutally attacked her in a Daily Star report.

Her 85-year-old husband, John, found her drenched in blood in her hospital bed downstairs, sleeping because of her condition. Aside from her husband, a care team comes into her house to help look after her.

The husband recalled hearing what he believed to be a "big rodent" scratching around by his feet, although he brushed it aside since it was in the middle of the night.

Facial Injuries

Nottinghamshire Live reported that at around 1:30 am, John said he noticed the rat again before falling asleep and waking up as normal just before 6 am.

The old man also told the media outlet that at around 5:45 am; he went downstairs to check on his wife in their living room. He then alerted emergency services and waited for an ambulance to arrive at about 8:20 am.

Describing what he saw in his wife, the husband said he had never seen anything like Diana's injuries. He added, "you can see how bad they were from the picture," and that it was indeed savage.

A young girl helped the older man as they took Diana to the Queen's Medical Center, and she returned on Thursday evening.

The were scratches on the woman's face, neck, and hands, John said, describing his wife's facial injuries, adding that the rat had tried to bite right through his wife's bone from its looks. There was blood everywhere, he said.

The following morning after a neighbor had set up a trap in the house; John said the rat was trapped in a cage.

Rat Bites Cause Diseases

A Healthline report said rats could bite when they feel pressured or cornered. This may take place when one puts his hand inside a rat cage or has an encounter with one in the wild.

Rat bites are not always severe, although they can turn infected or result in a condition also known as "rat-bite fever."

Rodents have large teeth and can give painful bites when threatened. Even though rat bites are relatively rare, they can still be hazardous.

The saliva of certain species of rats carries life-threatening illnesses like leptospirosis and Hantavirus. More so, there are unusual cases in which the victim may suffer from rat-bite fever. In addition to this, a person bitten by a rat is also more vulnerable to tetanus infections.

Rite Bites are not 'Dry Bites'

An E Health Insider report specified that "rat bites are not dry bites." They commonly transmit an array of diseases to their victims.

Furthermore, rat-bite fever can result from such bites, although it is a highly unusual case, specifically in the United States.

Rat-fever is a type of disease that results from two agents known as Streptobacillus moniliformis and Spirillum minus- which are found in rodents' mouths. This illness can spread easily through a scratch or bite wound.

In some circumstances, the individual may contract this disease, too, through contact with the droppings or urine of the infected rat.

The most typical source of this illness is a rat, although other types of rodents, like squirrels, weasels, and gerbils, can cause the infection.

Related information about the rat-bite fever is shown on Nabil Ebraheim's YouTube video below:

Check out more news and information on Rats in Science Times.