The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention is issuing a warning regarding reports of “unusual or aggressive” behavior among rodents.

CDC Warns Of "Unusual or Aggressive" Rodents During Coronavirus OutbreakSpencer Platt / Getty Images

The CDC says rodents that normally rely on waste from restaurants may begin venturing into new territory in search of food, especially in cities. A post on the CDC’s website reads, “Some jurisdictions have reported an increase in rodent activity as rodents search for new sources of food. Environmental health and rodent control programs may see an increase in service requests related to rodents and reports of unusual or aggressive rodent behavior.”

The CDC recommends sealing access to homes and businesses, ridding the area of debris and heavy vegetation, keeping garbage in bins, and removing pet and bird food from your property.

The organization also expects drastic fluctuations in rodent population throughout the pandemic with population falling and then rising.

“Follow established guidelines when cleaning up after rodent infestations to prevent exposure to rodent-borne diseases,” the warning continues. “Fleas are common on rodents. In areas of heavy rodent infestations, workers should consider using a repellant registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as effective against fleas to prevent flea bites and minimize exposure to fleaborne disease.”

[Via]