Serious Health Problems Caused by Common Household Pests

You can’t help but feel murderous when you see ants crawling all over that slice of chocolate cake you’ve been saving. Or maybe you hate bees buzzing about ruining your romantic picnic. There really are so many reasons why pests are called as such and why it’s so easy to hate them. But apart from being a huge pain in the neck, having pests inside your home or even outdoors can endanger your health.

Pests Can Trigger an Anaphylactic Reaction

An anaphylactic reaction, also known as “anaphylaxis“, is a severe allergic reaction to something. There are several things that trigger an allergic response, such as food or food ingredients, pollen, as well as certain substances found in medicines. Someone who is hypersensitive can also react strongly when exposed to insects or animals. For example, a person who is exposed to dust particles contaminated by roach feces, saliva or body parts could experience a severe asthma attack; many individuals also develop rashes. It’s really common for people to experience allergy-induced asthma when exposed to pests at home. Apart from roaches, dust mites, mice and rats can also exacerbate asthma and other lung or breathing problems.

Horned Roach

There is also a big risk of people experiencing anaphylactic shock when bitten or stung by insects. Bees, wasps and scorpions are the most common stinging pests around. Someone who is severely allergic to stings will demonstrate breathing problems or chest pain, loss of consciousness, and generalized rashes or hives, to name a few. As long as the onset of signs and symptoms is quick, a victim must be brought to a hospital right away. He will need emergency care in order to survive. Other pests that may trigger anaphylactic shock include: fire ants, bed bugs, ticks, horsefly and mosquitoes.

Pests Can Transmit Disease-Causing Organisms

It is widely known that several species of insects carry harmful organisms that they easily transmit to animals and humans. The mosquito is an example of a dangerous vector. It may be small but it can spread microorganisms that cause encephalitis or brain inflammation. Mosquitoes are also known to cause other illnesses with high fatality rates, and there are no vaccines for such diseases, such as dengue hemorrhagic fever, eastern equine encephalitis, and even the dreaded malaria.

mosquito bites

Ticks also endanger health as they cause Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and tick paralysis, to name a few. Then, there are also bed bugs. These bloodsucking creatures have gotten a lot of attention these recent years because it was just discovered that bed bugs could carry bacteria that cause MRSA (Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus), which is difficult to treat. Rodents also put people’s health in danger as they can spread illnesses via biting or just by crawling. They could crawl on utensils and transport pathogens, or their droppings could contaminate food as well. Other crawling insects, like roaches and even ants, pass on disease-causing viruses and bacteria. Cockroaches can spread salmonella, typhoid, poliomyelitis and dysentery. Pharaoh ants, considered as hospital pests, also bring pathogenic organisms, such as Clostridium and Staphyloccocus bacteria.

Claire Clarke is an experienced writer who blogs for a Charlotte pest extermination group, Insight Pest. She writes about different ways to naturally get rid of pesky critters. She is also a health advocate who contributes articles about the health effects of pest presence in homes.