Pest control is necessary because rodents and insects carry diseases, infest your kitchens and bedrooms, and bite you or your pets. The purpose of removing any kind of pest from your home, garage, or yard is to keep you safe and healthy. For example, rodents can leave faeces on or near food they find in your kitchen. If you accidentally eat contaminated food, you can become very ill. Pests of all stripes carry tough viruses and bacteria that require long-term treatment. Others can make existing medical conditions like asthma even worse.
This also poses a serious threat to care homes where people who are ill or infirm reside. To eliminate the health risks imposed by pests, care home proprietors need to enlist pest control service professionals to ensure their establishments are always kept pest-free.
Pest Species that Threaten Care Homes
Healthcare facilities have a statutory responsibility to take appropriate pest control measures to prevent infestations. There are three main types of pests that pose an ongoing threat to such establishments. These are mice and rats, cockroaches, and bed bugs. Below, we consider each in turn and the health risks and problems they cause.
Rats and Mice.
Both rats and mice carry a wide range of bacteria and viruses, as well as parasites. Should an infestation of either species take hold in your care home, they present a serious health hazard.
The dangerous diseases associated with rats and mice include salmonellosis, Weil’s disease, and hantavirus.
Signs of infestations include droppings, gnaw marks on food, packaging and building structure, greasy smudge marks along walls and skirting boards, shredded soft materials (paper, cardboard, etc.) and live or dead animals.
Pest control service professionals must be called immediately should any resident, visitor, or member of staff spot any of these signs in your care home.
Cockroaches
Cockroaches are also carriers of dangerous bacteria, including E. coli and salmonella. They can aggravate the symptoms of those who suffer from asthma.
In addition, cockroaches can pose other health risks to care home residents. Food poisoning is one such risk. Cockroaches eat rotten food and decaying matter. They also crawl around in unsanitary places such as toilets and sewers where they will pick up germs on their bodies and legs. They will then track these germs across food and food preparation surfaces which can lead to food poisoning.
Cockroach droppings and shed skins can also attract various fungi that affect the lungs and eyes. The insects are also known to carry several viruses, as well as parasitic organisms such as tapeworms and roundworms.
These all amount to serious health hazards that care home proprietors must deal with through a professional pest control service. Signs of cockroaches include shed skins, fecal pellets, live or dead insects, and a lingering, unpleasant odor – often noticeable in store cupboards, behind appliances or under sinks.
In such places, ants and termites may also pose harm to not just the human body, but also to the furniture. Hence, termites and Ant pest control is also important to consider.
Bed Bugs
Although they are not known to carry diseases that pose a direct threat to humans, bed bugs are nonetheless a serious care home pest that can have a detrimental effect on the health and wellbeing of residents.
Bed bugs live in or around beds, emerging at night to bite and feed on the blood of the people sleeping in them. These bites can cause severe itching and irritation, making for uncomfortable nights and a high amount of stress for residents. Bite wounds also carry the risk of secondary infection and even more severe reactions can occur if the person bitten suffers an allergic reaction.
Bed bug infestations can spread quickly in care homes and spiral out of control. This is due to the very nature of such establishments where visitors and care workers regularly walk in and out of rooms. Bed bugs are notoriously good hitchhikers and will cling to clothes, linen, and other fabrics and travel from room to room, spreading the infestation.
Care Home Pest Control Service from Pest Care Service
Professional Pest Care Service contracts are essential for all care home proprietors. The health risks associated with all pest species are severe and must be mitigated to protect the vulnerable people in your care.
At Pest Care Service we have years’ experience designing and implementing affordable pest control service solutions for care homes. Our pest control service begins with a free consultation and risk assessment. We will then tailor a contract that suits your care home establishment’s precise needs.
