The 4 Most Common Pests and the Diseases They Carry

Which common pests and diseases should you watch out for?

1. House flies
2. Mosquitoes
3. Cockroaches
4. Rodents

 

Household pests are some of the most frustrating things to deal with for any homeowner. Not only can they cause structural damage to your house, but many of them carry harmful diseases that can make a person ill. Some of the illnesses brought by pests can even be severe enough to cause death, which is why you should exercise caution when dealing with pests and the diseases that they carry.

To help you get up to speed on the specifics and to spark a sense of urgency in your pest-control efforts, here are some specific examples of common household pests and the diseases they can potentially carry.

 

House flies

House flies are a household staple for all the wrong reasons. They get into your house en masse through structural issues and are attracted to air currents and odors, especially in areas near kitchens or garbage areas.

Female flies, in particular, collect pathogens on their legs and on the small hairs covering their bodies when they lay eggs on decomposing organic material like feces, garbage, and animal corpses.

Here are some of the most common diseases they can carry:

• Dysentery: an inflammation of the intestine causing diarrhea that contains blood.
• Salmonella: another intestinal disease where a person may develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps.
• Anthrax: a rare but serious illness with symptoms that range from skin sores to vomiting.
• Typhoid Fever: a bacterial infection that causes high fevers, weakness, stomach pains, and in worst cases, internal bleeding and death.

When you see the presence of flies in your home, ensure that they do not get into contact with your food or drink because this is where the transfer of bacteria happens aside from directly infecting you through bites.

 

Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes, together with the aforementioned house flies, are the most annoying flying pests that live during both the summer and rainy seasons. However, the difference between them in terms of transmitting disease is that mosquitoes will bite humans more often.

You’re probably already familiar with the more common illnesses they can cause like malaria and dengue, but here are some more you should be wary of:

• Chikungunya: this is an infection that causes fever and joint pain. It is asymptomatic which means you may start feeling the symptoms in between two and twelve days.
• Yellow Fever: a viral disease that causes headaches, chills, back pain, fatigue, muscle pain, and vomiting.
• Zika Virus: considered to be a mild form of dengue, the Zika virus can cause fever, rashes, joint pain, and red eyes.

The diseases that mosquitoes can carry vary from short-term infections to serious life-threatening illnesses. On top of that, many of the viruses have no vaccine as of yet, so you should employ effective pest control methods to avoid contracting them.

 

Cockroaches

Cockroaches, just like the first two pests, creep and crawl in the dirtiest places in your home. They can also live just about anywhere – on fermenting products, septic dressings, feces, rotting food, and more.

Just like house flies, one can acquire typhoid, dysentery, and salmonella from cockroaches, but here are other diseases that they have been observed to carry:

• Poliomyelitis: also known as polio, an infectious disease that can cause muscle weakness, gastrointestinal problems, and flu-like symptoms.
• Cholera: an infection of varying severity that can cause watery diarrhea, vomiting, muscle cramps, and dehydration.

While getting infections from cockroaches are relatively rare, you can’t take any chances. As with all other pests, you should do your best to ensure that your home is cockroach-free.

 

Rodents

Rodents have long been known to carry many diseases that affect humans. In fact, the bubonic plague that devastated a big part of Europe back during the middle ages was in part due to rodents. This probably explains why people have a strong aversion to rodents of any kind, especially the rats you may have seen around your home.

Here are some of the most common diseases they can potentially transfer to humans:

• Leptospirosis: a bacterial infection that can cause headaches, muscle pain, jaundice, and major organ damage in severe cases.
• Orthohantavirus: A viral infection that causes a variety of illnesses and complications ranging from hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (intense headaches, back or abdominal pain, and blurry vision) to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (flu-like symptoms that can potentially escalate into fatal pulmonary edema).

These diseases and infections can be acquired by coming into contact with rodent urine, saliva, or feces. There is a high risk of getting it by wading in dirty floodwater, so wear the appropriate clothing during the rainy season.

 

Key Takeaway

These common household pests and the diseases they carry can give you more than just a headache. Prevent acquiring such illnesses and diseases by practicing effective methods of pest control. Contact and get help from a reliable pest control company if you must because you should never take any chances when it comes to you and your family’s health and safety.