7 Dangers of Cockroaches for Human Health
Cockroaches can be found all over the world. Today, there are more than 3,500 species of cockroaches roaming the country. The American cockroach is bigger and black. German cockroaches are smaller and brown. Meanwhile, Asian cockroaches are medium in size and dark brown to black. Because these insects eat a variety of foods, including rotting garbage, they are believed to spread diseases to humans, including salmonella and gastroenteritis. To find out more about the dangers of cockroaches to humans, let’s have a look below!
The dangers of cockroaches for health
Not only will you be socially embarrassed if cockroaches are scattered around your house, but cockroaches can also contribute to worsening the health of your family. These insects themselves do not cause disease, but they are vectors or carriers of millions of bacteria and infectious agents that can cause a wide range of diseases, from diarrhea to food poisoning. Here are the dangers of cockroaches for humans:
1. Contamination of food
Cockroaches can live by eating anything. Apart from the food we eat, they also eat dead plants, animals, faecal matter, glue, soap, paper, skin, and even fallen hairs. While they crawl at night, they contaminate open food by dumping dirt on it, leaving hair, dead skin, and empty egg shells in it.
2. Breeding bacteria that cause disease
Another danger of cockroaches is from their saliva. When cockroaches eat, they regurgitate saliva and digestive juices from their own mouths to inject your food with germs or bacteria that are in their intestines. A study found that bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa can breed extensively in the intestines of cockroaches. This can lead to several diseases such as urinary tract infections, digestive problems, and sepsis (blood poisoning).
3. Cockroach bites
Several species of cockroaches have been found to bite humans. This cockroach hazard is rare, but if your house is very infested with these insects then you should be careful because they can bite your nails, toes and other soft parts of the skin which can cause injury.
4. Assaulting body parts
Cockroaches can invade not only your home, but also your body parts. There are cases that cockroaches enter your ears and nose when you sleep. Small cockroaches can easily enter the body opening when you are in a deep sleep.
5. Food poisoning
In the epidemic of food poisoning, it was found that the decline in cases occurred only after cockroaches were eliminated. These insects are also home to Salmonella bacteria which can cause typhus and food poisoning.
6. Allergies
Cockroaches can cause allergies. Their secretion of saliva and body parts that contain hundreds of allergens can trigger unwanted reactions. You may develop a skin rash, sneezing, eye and watering.
7. Asthma
Cockroaches can be the worst enemy of people with asthma. The incidence of asthma attacks can increase if your home is infested with cockroaches. Cockroach allergens can cause severe complications, and can even be life-threatening. And, people who don’t have asthma can develop asthma from inhaling cockroach allergens.
Getting to know cockroach life
Female cockroaches can lay 10-40 eggs at a time. On average, the female releases 30 eggs in her life. Young cockroaches that hatch look the same as adult cockroaches, but smaller and without wings. Depending on the type and conditions, cockroaches can live up to 12 months. These insects are cold blooded and thrive in warm and humid conditions.
Cockroaches prefer to live in kitchens and other food preparation areas, so that they can eat from spilled food and have access to water. The cockroach hiding place in the house, namely:
- Wall cracks
- Limited space, such as the back of the refrigerator, kitchen, or under a pile of magazines, newspapers, or boxes
- Home furniture that is generally left undisturbed
- Kitchen cabinets
- Under the sink
- Around the water heater
- Waterways
How to protect your house from the dangers of cockroaches
There are several ways you can do at home to get rid of cockroaches, namely:
- Cleaning the house at least once a week
- Pay special attention to the kitchen and other food preparation areas
- Cleans under refrigerators, stoves, toasters and other portable utensils
- Empty the trash regularly
- Don’t keep leftovers indoors
- Clean up food spills immediately
- Make sure there are no dripping taps, because cockroaches need water to live
- Put food in closed containers
- Repair holes, cracks, or crevices in walls, boards, and cabinets.
- Do not stack newspapers, magazines, cardboard anywhere
- Use insecticides according to the instructions
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