Rat bites are rare in the US, with only one or two deaths per year and 25 bites reported to hospitals. In contrast, more than 50 people die annually from hornet and wasp stings. Dog bites are more common, but most bacteria found in dogs’ mouths are not harmful to humans. Rat bite fever can also be transmitted through body fluids or feces.
Statistically, you are 10 times more likely to be bitten by a human than by a rat. In fact, in the entire United States, only one or two people die from rat bites each year, and only about 25 rat bites are reported to the emergency room or hospital. To put that into perspective, more than 50 people die each year from hornet and wasp stings in the United States alone.
Learn more about bites:
Contrary to popular belief, a dog’s mouth is no cleaner than a human’s: both have several hundred species of bacteria, but most of the bacteria found in dogs’ mouths are not harmful to humans, making many bites dog less dangerous than human bites.
Rat bite fever can actually be transmitted without a bite—a person can also be exposed by touching body fluids or rat feces.
Although more than 4 million dog bites are reported each year in the United States, fewer than 20 dog bite deaths occur.
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