Having pests in your home is unsettling and disgusting. An infestation should put you on high alert. Even if you see a few insects scurrying around your house, you should take the necessary precautions to avoid a full-blown infestation. While pest can seem harmless, they wreak havoc to your property. Ants and cockroaches can drill holes in your walls to find a place to stay and infest the entryways into your home. Apart from the costly repairs that the annoying creatures increase, they also carry harmful pathogens that will jeopardise your family’s health. Read on to find out how pests can put your family’s health at risk.
Exacerbate Allergies and Asthma Symptoms
It is a fact that the presence of pests affects the quality of air in your house. Most pests are diggers and burrowers, which means there will be dust and debris flying around the house. If your children experience allergic reactions, the dust can trigger allergies. The air can also be dangerous for people with asthma; the dust from mites and debris exacerbate the symptoms. Most of the pests that burrow into the walls are termites and ants.
Cockroaches are every family’s worst nightmare. Not only do they multiply fast, but they are also so insidious in that their mere presence is a sign of danger. Cockroaches are scavengers that move around in search of food. They are afraid of light and will likely scatter when you switch on the lights. However, they leave traces of their existence everywhere, especially in the kitchen and near garbage disposal bins. You will notice their droppings, saliva, and parts of their bodies that fall off as they move. Unfortunately, those parts that they leave behind contain allergens that could trigger asthma symptoms or lead to new allergies. If you notice signs of cockroaches in your home, you need to spray the areas infested to avoid getting sick. Rodents can also bring allergens by leaving urine or dander that causes allergic reactions. Besides, the presence of rats and mice usually indicates that lice and fleas will be making an appearance soon.
Spread Diseases
The most common pests in residential houses are cockroaches, rodents, mosquitos, and ants. You probably ignore them when you see a rat running around your home or a spider on the walls. Unfortunately, the pests carry pathogens that cause infections. They can transmit diseases to human beings through their droppings, urine, biting, or scratching. Rodents like mice and rats carry over 35 dangerous conditions, which can jeopardise your health. For instance, the Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome is fatal in children and spreads through contact with a rat’s droppings or being bitten by a rat. Rite-bite fever is often contracted from bites or scratches from the critters and can cause severe long-term health problems. Lymphocytic choriomeningitis is also a serious disease spread through any contact with rat’s urine and saliva. It can cause neurological damage if it goes untreated.
Apart from rodents, mosquitoes can also transmit diseases as their nasty sting can do a lot of harm to your body. They carry viruses such as Zika, West Nile, malaria, meningitis, and Equine Encephalitis, which usually leads to inflammation of the brain and spinal cord. These illnesses are life-threatening and can cause long-term issues. Therefore, if you have an infestation, pest treatment is vital to keep your household safe. Cockroaches also carry pathogens that can trigger respiratory problems in children. They also carry Salmonella Typhi, which cause typhoid.
Contaminate Food
Pests gravitate towards areas with food and water, which means they will likely end up in your kitchen and food storage areas. They turn anything they come in contact with into a disease-ridden cesspool. Rodents and cockroaches also leave a trail of urine and droppings in the food cabinets or food containers. Consuming contaminated food exposes your body to health problems like food poisoning. Bugs like cockroaches are known to carry viruses that cause food poisoning. Salmonellosis is a strain of food poisoning resulting from consuming food and water contaminated with rat faeces. It usually causes severe diarrhoea, nausea, and fever. It is also transferable from one person to another.
Pests also live in the dirtiest environments and pass through drainages, sewers and any pipe that enters your house form the street. They carry along with them bacteria from the streets to your food preparation areas and utensils. You need to keep the annoying critters at bay for your family to stay healthy. If you want to get rid of the bugs, you need to seal all leftover food in containers and avoid leaving pet food exposed at night. Another pest control measure is to dispose of garbage to prevent it from piling up and attracting bugs.
Spreads Venom and Toxins
Biting insects like mosquitoes and fleas often cause allergic reactions with minor swelling, itching, and pain. However, stinging pests inject venom and toxic substances into your body. Pests like spiders, wasps, and fire ants can cause severe reactions with their sting. Usually, the area stung by the insect, reddens, experiences swelling, and becomes itchy. The toxins from the pests can cause anaphylaxis, which requires immediate medical attention. Apart from the allergic reactions, the venom triggers toxic reactions, which poisons your body. The symptoms for such a condition include fever, shock, nausea, seizures, and death. Serum sickness often results from the body generating an unusual reaction to a foreign substance. Whether any of your family members suffer from exposure to toxins or not, you should take measures to exterminate pests from your home.
For your family to be safe and healthy, you need to get rid of pests in your home. Apart from maintaining high levels of cleanliness, you can spray the bugs. However, it can be difficult to spot signs of infestation. For instance, cockroaches are nocturnal and live in crevices, which mean they are difficult to spot, but you should still take preventive measures to reduce their infestation. You can also seek services of pest control experts like Excel Pest Services to assist you in dealing with an infestation.
