Having a pest infestation problem can present a risk to your health. There is a whole range of nasty illnesses and diseases that could come about if a pest infestation isn’t dealt with appropriately. Let’s take a quick look at some of the main ones:
Salmonella, Dysentery & Gastroenteritis – These illnesses can be caused by cockroaches contaminating your food and work surfaces if your food isn’t stored safely. The problem can be exacerbated if flies are allowed to land on food and spread the germs further. All three of these illnesses can become serious if not dealt with quickly and they lead to vomiting, diarrhoea, and severe stomach cramps. Rats or mice contaminating your food can cause these problems as well.
Hantavirus – This is pretty rare and is caused when humans come into contact with mouse or rat urine, rat droppings or saliva. Symptoms of Hantavirus are fever, haemorrhage and in worse case scenario, renal failure.
Weil’s Disease – This can be caused if rat or mouse urine contaminates water. It enters the body through eyes, mouth, nose, ears or cuts in the skin. Once again, this is rare and it’s more likely to happen in farm/agricultural environments. Symptoms are similar to flu but it can then escalate into far more serious damage such as meningitis or liver damage.
Pneumonia, E- Coli and Listeria – water that is contaminated by bird droppings can potentially cause e-coli and listeria. If bird droppings are allowed to accumulate and dry it can cause a dust that can bring about respiratory infections and problems such as pneumonia.
Thankfully, all of the above are quite rare and with appropriate hygiene standards they can be avoided completely. However, the severity of these illnesses illustrates the need to act quickly in the event of a pest infestation. It can be dangerous to let pest problems escalate so if you need any advice about dealing with pest control problem and how to avoid issues in the future, please get in touch. We would be happy to help.
