Healthcare, police, fire, and… exterminators?
Yes. As a matter of fact, the pest control industry has been responsible for the protection of public health, food, and property for a very long time. It’s so important that the Department of Homeland Security has deemed it an essential service – it’s listed under Public Works. We play a vital role in protecting our nation’s public health and food supply. Here are just a few ways pest control helps with the daily public health and safety issues we face every day.
Healthcare
The healthcare industry has enough to deal with – but now with the possible overcrowding from the coronavirus (COVID-19), their issues have suddenly multiplied. More people coming in and out can mean more hitchhiking bed bugs. Flies are especially dangerous to the healthcare industry. They pose a number of health threats through the spread of bacteria and contamination of surfaces, medical supplies, and equipment. Keeping up with pest control in this industry is not only important, it’s integral.
Residences
Cockroach and rodent allergens trigger asthma attacks in children, rodents can contaminate and/or consume your food supply, and bed bugs can cause allergic reactions. And those are just a few of the pests that can cause difficulties in our homes. With the voluntary self-quarantine and social distancing that is being practiced right now, our homes are our sanctuaries. They should be our safe spaces. We don’t need pests infiltrating and threatening that space because of lack of pest control. Homes, of course, but multifamily dwellings like apartments are even more at risk.
Food Processing
According to the National Pest Management Association, rodents contaminate or consume about 20% of the world’s food supply. Cockroaches are filthy and can track bacteria onto whatever they walk on. But because flies seem non-threatening, people tend to wave them away and forget about them. Drain Flies are actually as filthy if not filthier than cockroaches. They are drain and garbage bin dwellers and carry about six million different bacteria. Pest services keep all that under control so our food sources remain safe and healthy. One less thing for you and your family to be concerned about right now.
Those are the industries that are in need of pest control more than ever, but nobody should just brush this service off. It’s clear why this service is considered essential right now. Pests can spread diseases such as West Nile virus, Lyme disease, salmonellosis, hantavirus, and encephalitis. Stinging insects force half a million people to the emergency room every year. And rodents are just in a category of their own. They consume about 20% of the world’s food supply! We know we already said that, but we feel like it warrants a second mention.
Pest control isn’t something to be taken lightly. The technicians at Western Pest Services have been trained, tested, and certified in the use of everything that is needed to professionally perform pest control services – for accuracy, efficiency, and safety. With COVID-19 on everyone’s mind right now, we want to be sure we continue our battle against the diseases spread by pests. The importance of the pest control industry to the nation cannot be understated.