Hospitals and senior living facilities deal with ongoing pest problems due to many factors that include structural defects, high patient turnover, frequent visitors, preparation and storage of food and nonstop deliveries. Ants and bed bugs top the list of pest infestations found within health care facilities.
Bed Bugs in Hospitals, Nursing Homes, Outpatient Clinics & Healthcare Facilities
Bed bugs problems have been on the rise for the past 10 years. There are still questions about whether or not the threat to humans. In 2012, the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) reported that a third of all pest control companies dealt with bed bugs in health care facilities. Bed bugs are the hardest pests to control, according to pest control specialists. Some problems that result from having a bed bug problem are that bed bugs seem to have respiratory an allergen effects. They can cause sleep problems for patients due to night-feeding and can cause fatigue as well as mental health complications. Bed bug bites can cause some reactions for patients and can cause some to feel paranoid about them. This paranoia can stay with a patient day and night. Bed bugs can stay undetected for a long time because many people do not have immediate reactions to the bed bugs. This means that bites should not be the first indication that bed bugs may be present. The presence of bed bugs leads to a facility appearing to be unclean. This makes it important to develop prevention measure and treatment strategies.
Fire, Pharaoh & Other Ant Pest Management in Healthcare
Ants can become pests quickly. When fire ants are outside heath care facilities, there is always the risk of them gaining entry. Fire ants will make their way inside when they are faced with extremely wet or dry conditions. Once inside they will forage for food debris spilled inside the facility. Fire ants have been known to relocate an entire colony nest to a building in a very short period of time. Staff should be educated and a log should be kept of ant sightings and areas that were treated need to be documented as well. The bite of a fire ant can cause allergic symptoms, like headaches, nausea and dizziness and difficulty breathing for patients who are already in the facility to get healthy. Many times patients are unable to call for help if they are stung which can lead to serious injury or even death. Life threatening reactions can lead to anaphylaxis which is a severe reaction of the whole body. These reactions can begin in minutes after a sting. Pharaoh ants can spread over a dozen dangerous bacteria and pathogens such as Salmonella, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Pseudomonas and Clostridium. Pharaoh ant infestations are common in hospitals, nursing homes and other healthcare facilities where they can spread infection between patients.
Pest Inspections, Management, Removal & More in Canyon Lake, Spring Branch, Bulverde, Timberwood Park, Leon Valley, Alamo Heights, New Braunfels, Selma, Live Oak, Converse, Universal City, Cibolo, Seguin, New Berlin, St Hedwig, Adkins, La Vernia, Elmendorf, Losoya, Von Ormy, Macdona & San Antonio, Texas
Pest infestations can be detrimental to healthcare facilities. If pests are found there will be negative publicity, sterile areas can be contaminated, patients will complain and may have complications from stings or bites. The facility will also have to deal with the high cost of treating infestations. Making sure your facility is pest free will protect your residents, not to mention your reputation. Contact A Five Star Pest & Termite Control to address any infestations you’re dealing with.
