Cockroaches and Health Risks: Diseases Caused by Cockroaches
Who is now aware of cockroaches? I think everyone must have experienced or seen cockroaches in their lives. These small creatures are scary and can frighten everyone, especially girls and kids. Roaming on the wall of your kitchen or even in the bathroom can make you seriously scream. You will never like to see cockroaches around you. Nowadays, these have been common pests found in houses and commercial places as well. You can see cockroaches in the kitchen or places where you store your food items. You can find them near dustbins, sewage drains, bathrooms, etc. Sometimes, you can see cockroaches even in your wardrobe, which can be terrifying.
These small creatures are not only scary but also carriers of many diseases. Cockroaches prefer to live in dirty and unhygienic places. Thus, they ingest and can carry several harmful pathogens like viruses, fungi, bacteria, and parasites on their bodies. They can transmit these harmful pathogens to human bodies by contaminating food and surfaces. As a result, they can make people ill and cause numerous severe diseases. Thus, effective pest control treatment is essential to getting rid of cockroaches from homes or workplaces.
Cockroaches not only invade houses but also commercial places like restaurants, hotels, or food manufacturing plants. They not only contaminate food items and cause diseases but can also have a negative impact on the brand reputation of businesses. They can also make customers sick. Thus, commercial pest control is also essential to eliminating these scary creatures from commercial places like restaurants, hotels, and food manufacturing plants.
In short, cockroaches are harmful. In this blog post, we will try to understand the connection of cockroaches to diseases and health risks. Also, we will learn what types of diseases cockroaches cause and how they can spread these diseases.
Now that you have understood well that cockroaches are harmful and spread various types of diseases. You have learned that roaches are known to be reservoirs of disease-causing pathogens like viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites. They can contaminate your food and surfaces. Hence, they can cause infections through their droppings, which can lead to diseases. Here are some possible ways through which cockroaches can spread diseases. Have a look at them.
People can get sick from breathing in cockroach proteins, faeces, or saliva.
People can get sick from diseases that cockroaches spread if they eat or drink something that they have messed up.
People can get sick from touching things or surfaces that are contaminated with cockroach vomit, saliva, or faeces.
Salmonella infection, or salmonellosis, is a common bacterial disease. Contaminated food or water is a common cause of this disease. Usually, the disease affects the intestinal tract. In common terms, this disease is also called food poisoning.
Like rats and rodents, cockroaches are notorious for contaminating food or water. Hence, they can also transmit the Salmonella bacteria and cause the disease called Salmonellosis. How do cockroaches transmit Salmonella disease? Let’s understand this. As you know, roaches usually feed on leftover food and live in dirty places. They eat bacteria-infected food, which remains in their digestive system for more than a month. They can transmit bacteria through faeces or vomit, causing Salmonellosis.
In Salmonellosis, a patient exhibits similar symptoms to those of food poisoning. The symptoms of Salmonellosis are not noticeable immediately. A patient can start experiencing symptoms around 12 to 72 hours after infection. The most common symptoms of Salmonellosis include stomachache, vomiting, diarrhoea, and fever. A patient can take up to seven days to recover completely from a Salmonella infection.
Typhoid fever
Cockroaches can also cause typhoid fever by transmitting the Salmonella typhi bacterium. Typhoid fever is a highly infectious bacterial infection. Usually, cockroaches accumulate the Salmonella typhi bacterium by feeding on infected food. Then, they can contaminate your food, surfaces, water, and other things. As a result, you can get typhoid fever if you consume contaminated food or water. The symptoms of typhoid fever include a high temperature, stomachache, muscle aches, body pain, headache, constipation, and diarrhoea. Typhoid fever requires quick treatment. A patient can take up to five days to recover from this fever. Please remember that a delay in treatment can lead to serious complications.
Cholera is also an infectious bacterial disease. A person gets infected with this disease when they consume contaminated food with the Vibrio cholera bacterium. And you know very well that cockroaches can carry the Vibrio cholera bacterium by eating contaminated food. They can transmit the infection through their faeces and vomit. So keep your place clean and sanitised. Make sure there are no cockroaches or other pests in your home that can contaminate your food items and surfaces. The symptoms of cholera include abdominal pain, vomiting, nausea, diarrhoea, dehydration, lethargy, and a water-electrolyte imbalance. Treatments include supportive care and antibiotics.
Dysentery
Dysentery is a gastrointestinal disease. A person can get infected with this disease after consuming contaminated food, water, or juice. Cockroaches are known for carrying various types of parasites and bacteria. Hence, they can transmit parasites and bacteria. As a result, they can cause dysentery. There are two types of dysentery—Amoebic dysentery and Bacillary dysentery. Amoebic dysentery is a parasitic disease. The parasite Entamoeba histolytica (E. histolytica) is the cause of this disease. Bacillary dysentery is a bacterial disease. The disease happens due to bacteria like Shigella, Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Escherichia coli (E. coli). The symptoms of amoebic dysentery include diarrhoea, high fever, vomiting, nausea, weight loss, upset stomach, and stomach cramps. On the other hand, the symptoms of bacillary dysentery include diarrhoea containing blood or mucus, nausea, vomiting, high fever, and abdominal pain. People suffering from mild symptoms of dysentery can take up to 7 days to recover from the disease.
Leprosy
Another disease that cockroaches can spread is leprosy. It is a chronic but curable infectious disease. It happens due to infection with the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae. This infectious disease can cause skin lesions and nerve damage. It predominantly affects the skin, eyes, nose, and peripheral nerves. Although there are several other pests that can transmit or spread leprosy, cockroach faeces are among the main reasons. So, you must make sure that your home is cockroach-free to avoid such illnesses. The most common symptoms of leprosy include red skin patches, numbness, and weakness in the hands and feet. Please take this illness seriously. A delay in treatment can cause severe issues.
Escherichia coli, also known as E. coli, is a type of bacterium that is frequently discovered in the digestive tracts of humans. While most strains of E. coli are completely safe, there are a few that can cause severe food poisoning with symptoms like watery diarrhoea and stomach cramps. Remember, that cockroaches can spread E. coli infections by contaminating your food and beverages. As a result, you may become sick.
Asthma
Most of the diseases caused or transmitted by cockroaches are bacterial. But there are some other non-bacterial diseases that can also be spread by cockroaches. One of the non-bacterial diseases caused by roaches is asthma. Yes. Cockroaches can trigger asthma because they carry certain proteins in their bodies that can be allergens for certain people. Tiny particles from cockroach bodies may spread through the air and allergens, triggering asthma in many people.
Cockroach Control – Professional Pest Control Services
In conclusion, cockroaches can transmit many types of diseases. Hence, we must consider making our homes pest-free. Although there are certain DIY cockroach control products and methods available, they can be ineffective in severe infestations. So, it would be a highly wise decision to hire a professional cockroach control service. There are many professional pest control companies in Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune, Kolkata, and other major Indian cities to choose from. We recommend choosing one of the nearby pest control companies. Make sure the company you choose is licensed, registered, and experienced. Only a legitimate pest control company can help you get rid of cockroaches and other pests from your home or workplace.
If you are looking for a reliable and experienced pest control company near you, you can book the best one through Getpestcontrol.in. This is the ultimate portal through which you can hire any sort of pest control service to eradicate any kind of pests and bugs from your home or office.
Cockroaches and Health Risks: Diseases Caused by Cockroaches
