Cockroaches and Health Problems

Cockroaches and Health Problems

Can cause cockroaches health problems? Yes! Cockroaches can cause many health problems. These creatures can spread 33 types of bacteria, 6 parasitic worms, and 7 other kinds of human pathogens. Cockroach allergens are a serious risk to children and elderly adults who are asthmatic patients.

Cockroaches will eat anything including spoiled food and feces. They ingest bacteria that can survive in their digestive system for months and even years. This bacteria is passed to humans when cockroaches vomit and defecate on food that is consumed by humans. Since cockroaches only appear at night, they are not easily spotted. This means a home could have an infestation and not knowing it could lead to serious problems. Call cockroach control if you see them at your home. 

Although the cockroach can harbour viruses like the poliovirus, they are known more as carriers of a range of bacteria that can be life-threatening. Among the most dangerous bacteria are salmonella, staphylococcus, streptococcus, and E. coli. One study conducted on trapped cockroaches measured bacterial counts as high as 14 million microbes just on the exterior bodies. The fecal droppings contained 7 million microbes. It doesn’t take but a few microbes to cause diseases like urinary tract infections, diarrhea, cholera, wound infections, and other serious infections.

Cockroaches also attract parasitic culprits that ride on their bodies. These include the giant roundworm, hookworm, whipworm, pinworm, and threadworm. While these names are not familiar to the average household, they are nonetheless dangerous and prevalent.

Some diseases are caused by the more rapidly multiplying bacteria in the guts of cockroaches. These bacteria can cause digestive problems and sepsis. Sepsis can be life-threatening and devastating to the body. It is one of the most serious infections known to modern medicine.

The threat to human health does not end with bacteria and parasitic activity. Cockroaches will not just invade the home, but they will also invade body parts. Many cases of small cockroaches entering the ear and nose of a sleeping person have been reported. They will enter other orifices if a person is sleeping soundly. The damage to the human body resulting from these actions by cockroaches is indescribable.