Health is wealth, so they say! Well, the truth is, health is a broad subject that would take thousands of books to cover, but one thing is for sure… most pests and rodents have several negative impacts on human health. This article will cover the most common effects of pests and rodents on one’s health.
What are Pests and Rodents?
Simply defined, rodents are small animals that gnaw on our food, garden crops, and even property, mostly using their front incisor teeth located in the upper and lower jaws.
In other words, they will eat anything that seems edible to them, even your clothes!
The most common rodents that cause havoc in households include rats, mice, and rarely squirrels.
On the other hand, the word pest is a broader term for insects, arachnids, and other tiny animals or bugs that often cause nuisance, pain, and disturbance in plants, humans, and other animals.
Most of them are destructive to our food and property.
Some of them sting, whereas others bite—some crawl, whereas some fly.
Common examples of pests include cockroaches, ants, wasps, termites, crickets, flies, spiders, mosquitoes, bedbugs, fleas, and mites, to name a few.
Some rodents, like the ones mentioned earlier, are pests as well.
Unfortunately, most of these pests and rodents come from the wild and find their way into our homes (and even places of work), both in interior and exterior environments.
The other sad thing is that they tend to multiply quickly, and if you fail to keep the situation under control at a good time, these annoying creatures can be really difficult to exterminate, not to mention increasing the ill effects of pests on human health.
To successfully get rid of them, you’d have to consider several factors, including the type of rodent that you have, where they like hiding, what could be encouraging their entry into your home, the most realistic solution to the problem, and most importantly, hiring an experienced pest exterminator for their services or advice.
Different types of rodents may require different treatment approaches, but the first and most important step is to learn how to prevent them.
You could try rat poison, traps, or even natural rat eradication remedies from these.
Hiring an experienced hand will take a great deal of hustle off of your hands.
With that in mind, how exactly can these unpleasant creatures harm your health?
Below are the 5 effects of pests and rodents on human health
How Does Pest Infestation Affect Human Health?
They Harbor Diseases
One of the biggest negative effects of pests and rodents on human health is that they can make you fall ill.
Most of them are disease carriers, either directly or indirectly.
For instance, the effect of household pest cockroaches, and flies is unhygienic.
When they come into contact with your food, they could leave bacteria, such as E. coli and salmonella, which could cause gastrointestinal diseases and food poisoning to the consumer.
On the other hand, rats are known to harbor a wide range of diseases, including leptospirosis, rabies, salmonellosis, plague, and murine typhus, to name a few.
From the West Nile Virus to the Zika virus and malaria, mosquitoes are vectors to various diseases.
Mosquitoes carry dengue fever.
As they breed in stagnant water, this becomes a health concern.
Therefore it is recommended water containers be frequently used up and covered.
The list of diseases whose spread is caused by pests and rodents is literally endless, and the best thing you can do to stay safe and healthy is to take measures to eradicate these unfriendly creatures as soon as you notice or suspect the first signs of pest infestation or invasion in your home or commercial premises.
A Giant Source of Nuisance
Once they invade our homes and places of business, pests, and rodents also become a huge nuisance source.
For instance, the mere sight of cockroaches in your kitchen cabinet could easily make you lose your appetite or want to vomit your empty stomach.
The squeaking, chattering and hissing sounds that rats produce could make it difficult for you to fall asleep.
Likewise, the stridulating of crickets or the annoying sounds that mosquitoes produce can be a major source of insomnia.
These and other pests will disrupt your sleep, infringe on your comfort, get on your nerves, and mess up your mood, all of which are bad for your overall health and well-being.
If you have a specific phobia of any of these animals, coming across them often could lead to some psychological trauma or trigger an unhealthy outcome.
They Can Impact Your Nutrition
From veggies to cereals, and even meats, many pests are also destructive to our food.
Especially rats and rodents can be a real menace when they find their way into your food storage spaces.
What’s worse, they’ll not only leave destruction, but there’s a big chance that what is left will be contaminated with germs and toxins.
The last thing you want is to consume your food as “leftovers” from these pesky invaders.
Not to mention the harmful effects of pests on crops that provide our food.
They Introduce Allergies
According to the NCBI, many pests and rodents are also major causes of allergies and poor indoor air quality in modern households and commercial settings.
Rats, for instance, do shed fur, which can be a huge cause of allergies.
The same case applies to their droppings or fecal matter.
Pests can carry allergens such as dust into the home.
For this reason, pest infestation often puts dwellers at a higher risk of suffering from allergies such as asthma and upper respiratory tract problems.
Some Bite or Sting, And Cause Injury
Some of them bite, from mites to fleas, termites, and bedbugs, whereas others, such as bees, hornets, and wasps, sting.
Many species of spiders even contain a type of venom whose antidote is rare.
If not fatal, some of them could potentially leave you paralyzed.
Public health importance of rodents awareness
There is health importance in understanding the effects of pests and rodents also because domestic rodents can be brought into contact with pests and rodents, and the inevitable exchange of parasites may then produce unpredictable threats to human health.
The role of both wild and domestic rodents play in the transmission of certain infectious diseases, such as plague, is a huge threat to human health.
Even though mice play a huge role in laboratories as they’re used in research studies to make our medical and pharmaceutics worlds more innovative, the many things that these pesky organisms can have on humans can hardly be overlooked.
They are a big health hazard to the victim and a major societal problem requiring immediate addressing.
The above are just a few of the many effects pests and rodents can have on one’s health.