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 a year die from rat bites, and only about 25 rat bites are reported to an emergency room or hospital. To put that in perspective, more than 50 people die annually from hornet and wasp stings in the U.S. alone.
More facts about bites:
- Contrary to popular belief, a dog's mouth is not cleaner than a humans — both have several hundred species of bacteria, but most of the bacteria found in dogs' mouths is not harmful to humans, making many dog bites less dangerous than human bites.
- Rat bite fever can actually be transmitted without a bite — a person also can be exposed through touching biological fluids or feces from a rat.
- Though more than 4 million dog bites are reported every year in the U.S., less than 20 dog bite fatalities occur.