If pest infestation is an issue in your household, you understand that getting rid of the culprit can be challenging. Insects, rodents and other home invaders can easily and quickly set up a home base anywhere under your roof. While it's good for them, it isn't for you, especially if you have children. A young child still has a growing immune system. Coming in contact with a pest can easily compromise their health. Here are some ways a pest infestation can affect your child's health and how you can improve it.

Mental Health

Some pests such as rodents or bed bugs can come in direct contact with your child, causing severe mental distress. Rats that are native to North America have a tendency to over populate rapidly. Most commonly, the Norway Rat, can have up to 20 offspring or more per year. If your home is heavily infested with several rats, they may come in contact with your child. Rats are nocturnal. This means they will likely appear at night. Your child may hear heavy scratching noises or have their toys or bedroom furniture destroyed by a rat. This can be very emotionally disturbing.

Bed bugs are another type of pest that can wear heavily on a child's mental health. Not only can they get bitten by bed bugs, they may feel them crawling or see them moving across the bed, or around the wall trim in their bedroom.

Eliminating overpopulating pests such as rodents and bedbugs will help improve your child's mental health immediately.

Air Quality   

Cockroaches are pesky insects that also multiply rapidly within the right household conditions. They are extremely difficult to eradicate and can easily chew and destroy many items throughout your home. The biggest issue is that they contribute to poor air quality. Their eggs and fecal matter can lead to respiratory distress. Your child could develop breathing issues if they have to breathe in the air on a long-term basis. They can also contaminate your food sources and eating utensils. Eradicating a cockroach infestation will help improve their respiratory system and digestive health.

Allergies   

Unfortunately, many kids are born with or develop allergies throughout childhood. The best course of treatment is to eliminate the allergen. If your home is overrun with insects such as spiders or fleas, it can be very unhealthy for a child who is allergic to these insects to live there. Some children are very allergic to spider bites, even if the spider is not poisonous.

Seasonal flea problems can also leave large welts where the insect bites the skin and where flea dander is present. While people themselves can't become infested with fleas, they are still prone to the occasional bite. Having your home sprayed for fleas and spiders can help control the issue and reduce the risk for bug bite swelling or anaphylactic shock.

Food Contamination  

Your food can easily become contaminated by pests such as mice or weevils if you have an infestation. Weevils are small winged insects that target flour and cornmeal products. They lay their eggs inside food pieces within your pantry. While not deadly, if your child ingests a weevil or its larvae, they could become sick.

Mice can also invade food sources. Leaving behind fecal matter can lead to illness including salmonella. Hantavirus can also be transmitted via mouse droppings. This is a serious and sometimes life threatening respiratory virus carried and transmitted by mice.

Creating a healthy environment for your child starts with removing all pest contaminates. Calling your local pest control service is the first step at improving your child's health. (For more information, contact Greenleaf Organic Pest Management)